IF       YOU       BUT       LOOK       WITHIN       THE       CIRCLE     S       MAGIC        ROU] 
THE     NAME     OF     ONE     WHO     OWNS     THIS     VOLUME      WILL     BE      FOl 


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The  Fair 


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The 

R4IRT  7^1  NG 

Edited  by 

KATE    DOUGLAS   WIGGIN 

AND 

NORA    ARCHIBALD    SMITH 

Editors  of  The  Posy  Ring,   Golden  Numbers,   etc. 

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Wjsw  roRt^ 

VOUBLSDAT,   TAGS    &    COMPANY 

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Copyright,  igod,  by 
McCLURE,   PHILLIPS   &   CO. 


SDUC. 

LIBRARY 


Published,  November,   1906 


Messrs.  McClurc,  Phillips  &  Company  zvish  to  make  ac 
knowledgment  of  their  indebtedness  to  the  following  pub 
lishers: 

Little,  Brown  &  Company,  for  permission  to  use  "  Blanche 
and  Vermilion"  and  (( Prince  Desire  and  Princess  Mignon 
ette  "  from  Old-Fashioned  Fairy  Tales; 

A.  Wessells  Company,  for  permission  to  use  the  story  of 
"  The  Clever  Prince  "  from  Fairy  Tales  from  Afar; 

American  Book  Company,  for  permission  to  use  "  Drakesbill 
and  His  Friends  "  from  Fairy  Tales  and  Fables; 

University  Publishing  Company,  for  permission  to  use  "  The 
Troll's  Hammer"  from  Fairy  Life; 

Harper  &  Brothers,  for  permission  to  use  "  The  Fair  One 
zvith  Golden  Locks,"  <(  The  White  Cat,"  <(  Prince  Cherry" 
and  "  The  Frog  Prince "  from  Miss  Mulock's  Fairy  Book, 
and  "  Yvon  and  Finette,"  "  The  Twelve  Months,"  and  "  The 
Story  of  Coquerico "  from  Laboulaye's  Fairy  Tales  of  all 
Nations; 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  for  permission  to  use  "History  of 
Tom  Thumb  "  and  "  Tattercoats  "  from  Joseph  Jacobs' s  Eng 
lish  Fairy  Tales;  "  Munachar  and  Manachar"  from  Joseph 
Jacobs' s  Celtic  Fairy  Tales,  and  "  Master  Tobacco,"  "  Mother 
Roundabout's  Daughter,"  and  "  The  Sheep  and  the  Pig  "  from 
Dasent's  Tales  from  the  Fjeld; 

F.  A.  Stokes  Company,  for  permission  to  use  "  Lars,  My 
Lad"  and  "  Twigmuntus  and  Cowbelliantus "  from  Fairy 
Tales  from  the  Swedish; 

Longmans,  Green  &  Company,  for  permission  to  use  the 
following  stories:  "  The  Yellow  Dwarf,"  "  The  Man\'-Furred 

[v] 


M90751 


Creature,"  "Spindle,  Shuttle,  and  Needle"  "Princess  and 
the  Glass  Hill"  "The  Golden  Crab,"  "The  Magic  Ring" 
" Snow-white  and  Rose-red"  "  Graciosa  and  Percinet,"  "  The 
Iron  Stove"  "The  Good  Little  Mouse"  and  "The  Three 
Feathers"  from  the  Andrew  Lang  Fairy  Books. 

We  also  wish  to  express  our  thanks  to  Mr.  Seumas  Mac- 
Manus,  for  permission  to  use  "  The  Bee,  the  Harp,  and  the 
Bum-Clock"  "  The  Long  Leather  Bag"  and  "  The  Widow's 
Daughter"  from  his  books,  Donegal  Fairy  Tales  and  In 
Chimney  Corners,  published  by  us. 


CONTENTS 

SCANDINAVIAN 

PAGE 

EAST  o'  THE  SUN  AND  WEST  o'  THE  MOON  3 

THE  GOLDEN  LANTERN,  GOLDEN  GOAT,  AND  GOLDEN  CLOAK            13 

MOTHER  ROUNDABOUT'S  DAUGHTER  21 

THE  BEAR  AND  SKRATTEL  28 

THE  GOLDEN  BIRD  37 

THE  DOLL  IN  THE  GRASS  45 

THE  PRINCESS  ON  THE  GLASS  HILL  47 
THE  RAM  AND  THE  PIG  WHO  WENT  INTO  THE  WOODS  TO  LIVE  BY 

THEMSELVES  56 

THE  TROLL'S  HAMMER  60 

THE  CLEVER  PRINCE  65 

"LARS,  MY  LAD!"  7° 

TWIGMUNTUS,   COWBELLIANTUS,   PERCHNOSIUS  85 

ENGLISH 

MASTER  TOBACCO  89 

THE  HISTORY  OF  TOM  THUMB  95 

TATTERCOATS  101 

HISTORY  OF  JACK  THE  GIANT-KILLER  104 

FRENCH 

YVON   AND   FlNETTE  IOQ 

THE  FAIR  ONE  WITH  GOLDEN  LOCKS  138 

THE  LITTLE  GOOD  MOUSE  148 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THE  STORY  OF  BLANCHE  AND  VERMILION  161 

PRINCE  DESIRE  AND  PRINCESS  MIGNONETTA  165 

THE  YELLOW  DWARF  i7I 

GRACIOSA  AND  PERCINET  179 

DRAK,  THE  FAIRY  197 

DRAKESBILL  AND  His  FRIENDS  202 

RlQUET   WITH  THE   TlJFT  209 

THE  WHITE  CAT  216 

PRINCE  CHERRY  229 

THE  TWELVE  MONTHS  264 

SPANISH 

THE  STORY  OF  COQUERICO  254 

THE  BIRD-CAGE  MAKER  259 

GAELIC 

THE  BEE,  THE  HARP,  THE  MOUSE,  AND  THE  BUM-CLOCK  271 

THE  LONG  LEATHER  BAG  279 

THE  WIDOW'S  DAUGHTER  288 

MUNACHAR  AND  MANACHAR  292 

GERMAN 

THE  WILD  SWANS  238 

THE  ROAD  TO  FORTUNE  295 

THE  GOLDEN  CRAB  301 

THE  TABLE,  THE  Ass,  AND  THE  STICK  307 

THE  LITTLE  BROTHER  AND  SISTER  318 

THE  OLD  GRIFFIN  324 

THE  THREE  FEATHERS  330 

THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  WOOD  334 

RAPUNZEL  339 

[  viii  ] 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THE  QUEEN  BEE  343 

THE  MANY-FURRED  CREATURE  345 

SNOW-WHITE  AND  ROSE-RED  35° 

THE  FROG  PRINCE  357 

THE  GOOSE  GIRL  361 

BRIAR  ROSE  367 
THE  IRON  STOVE 

RUMPEL-STILTS-KEN 

FAITHFUL  JOHN,  THE  KING'S  SERVANT  379 

SPINDLE,  SHUTTLE,  AND  NEEDLE  386 

RUSSIAN 
THE  MAGIC  EGG 

THE  SPARROW  AND  THE  BUSH  402 

THE  IRON  WOLF  4<>4 

EAST  INDIAN 

THE  GRATEFUL  COBRA  4°S 

THE  MAGIC  RING  4*3 

TIT  FOR  TAT  426 

THE  BRAHMAN,  THE  TIGER,  AND  THE  Six  JUDGES  427 

MUCHIE  LAL  431 

THE  VALIANT  CHATTEEMAKER  439 


Throned  on  a  grassy  knoll,   I   watch 

The  elrin  host  come  trooping  by, 
And  hear  the  whir  of  fairy   wings, 

The  goblin  voices,    shrill  and  high. 
Behind  them   glides  a   magic   train 

Of  Kings  and   Princes,    armor-clad, 
And   serving  as  their  squires    bold 

Boots,   Ashiepattle,    Cinderlad. 
With  silken  rustle,   flash  of  gem, 

Queen  and   Czaritsa  sweep  along, 
While  red-capped  Troll  and    rainbow  Sprite 

Peep  out  amid  the  enchanted   throng. 

Ting-ling,   ting-ling,    boiu    sweet  the   ring, 
Like  golden   bellS)    of  fairy   laughter^ 

Rap-tap^    rap-tap^    boiv   sharp    the  clap 
Of  fairy  footfalls  following    after! 

Where  witch -grass  grows  and   fern-seed  lies, 

A   Fairy  Ring  is  dimly  seen  ; 
And  there  a  glitt'ring  host  is   met 

To  dance  upon  the   moonlit   green. 
Riquet,   the  Tufted,    lightly   turns 

The  Fair  One  with   the   Golden   Hair  j 
And   Prince   Desire  and  Mignonette 

Form  yet  another  graceful   pair. 
Tall  as  a  tower  stands   Galifron; 

The   Desert  Fay,    with  snakes   bedight, 
First  pirouettes  with  him   and   then 

With  wee  Tom  Thumb,    King   Arthur's  Knight. 

Ting-ling^   ting-ling)    botw   siveet   the  ring) 
Like  golden  bells)    of  fairy   laughter; 

Ra[)-tap)    rap-tap)    bo<w  sharp   the  clap 
Of  fairy  footfalls  following   after! 

Sweet,    unseen  harpers  harp   and   sing, 

Faint  elfin  horns  the  air  repeat ; 
Rapunzel  shakes  her  shining   braids, 

The  White  Cat  trips  with   velvet  feet. 
Rose-red,    Snow-white,   the   faithful   Bear, 

Cross  hands  with  gallant    Percinetj 
While  Tattercoats,   in  turn,    salutes 

Yvon,   the  Fearless,   and    Finette. 
— But  hark  !   the  cock  begins  to  crow  ; 

The  darkness  turns  to  day,    and,   look! 
The  fairy  dancers  whirl   within 

The  crimson  covers  of  this  book! 


NOKA    ARCHIBALD    SMITH 


[xi] 


INTRODUCTION 

"  THERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  king  who  had  a  garden; 
in  tliat  garden  was  an  apple  tree,  and  on  that  apple  tree  grew 
a  golden  apple  every  year." 

These  stories  are  the  golden  apples  that  grew  on  the  tree 
in  the  king's  garden;  grew  and  grew  and  grew  as  the  golden 
years  went  by;  and  being  apples  of  gold  they  could  never 
wither  nor  shrink  nor  change,  so  that  they  are  as  beautiful 
and  precious  for  you  to  pluck  to-day  as  when  first  they  ripened 
long,  long  ago. 

Perhaps  you  do  not  care  for  the  sort  of  golden  apples  that 
grew  in  the  king's  garden;  perhaps  you  prefer  plain  russets 
or  green  pippins?  Well,  these  are  not  to  be  despised,  for  they 
also  are  wholesome  food  for  growing  boys  and  qirls;  but  un 
less  you  can  taste  the  flavor  and  feel  the  magic  that  lies  in  the 
golden  apples  of  the  kings  garden  you  will  lose  one  of  the 
joys  of  youth. 

No  one  can  help  respecting  apples  (or  stones)  that  gleam 
as  brightly  to-day  as  they  did  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
years  ago,  when  first  the  'tiny  blossoms  ripened  into  precious 
fruit. 

"  Should  you  ask  me  whence  these  stories, 

Whence  these  legends  and  traditions 
With  the  odors  of  the  forest, 
With  the  dew  and  damp  of  meadows  f  " 

/  can  say  only  that  the  people  were  telling  fairy  talcs  in  Egypt, 
in  Joseph's  time,  more  than  three  thousand  years  ago;  and  'that 
grand  old  Homer  told  them  in  the  famous  "  Odyssey"  with  its 
Bitches  and  giants,  its  cap  of  darkness,  and  shoe's  of  soft 
ness.  Old  nurses  and  village  crones  have  repeated  them  by 

[  xiii  ] 


INTRODUCTION 

the  fireside  and  in  the  chimney  corner;  shepherds  and  cow- 
herds  have  recounted  them  by  the  brookside,  until  the  chil 
dren  of  the  world  have  all  learned  them  by  heart,  bequeathing 
them,  generation  after  generation,  as  a  priceless  legacy  to, 
their  own  children.  Nor  must  you  fancy  that  they  have  been 
told  in  your  own  tongue  only.  Long,  long  before  the  art  of 
printing  was  known,  men  and  women  of  all  nations  recited 
these  and  similar  tales  to  one  another,  never  thinking  that 
the  day  would  come  when  they  would  be  regarded  as  the  pecul 
iar  property  of  youth  and  childhood.  There  is  not  a  country 
in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  Australia,  or  the  islands  of  the  sea 
where  fairy  stories  of  one  sort  or  another  have  not  been  cur 
rent  since  the  dawn  of  speech;  and  to  make  this  Fairy  Ring 
of  sixty-odd  tales  the  editors  have  read  and  sifted  as  many 
hundreds.  You  will  miss  Cinderella,  Red  Riding  Hood,  Jack 
and  the  Beanstalk,  Toads  and  Diamonds,  Puss  in  Boots,  Blue 
beard,  Beauty  and  the  Beast,  and  other  favorites,  but  these 
have  been  omitted  because  they  can  be  easily  found  in  half  a 
dozen  volumes  already  on  your  shelves,  and  we  preferred  to 
give  you  in  their  stead  stories  less  well  known  and  hackneyed. 

The  so-called  Household  Tales,  such  as  Drakesbill,  The 
Little  Good  Mouse,  and  The  Grateful  Cobra  go  back  to 
the  times  when  men  thought  of  animals  as  their  friends 
and  brothers,  and  in  the  fireside  stories  of  that  period  the  cen 
tral  figures  were  often  wise  and  powerful  beasts,  beasts  that 
had  language,  assumed  human  form,  and  protected  as  well 
as  served  mankind.  Frogs,  fishes,  birds,  wolves,  cobras,  cats, 
one  and  all  win  our  sympathy,  admiration,  and  respect  as  we 
read  of  their  deeds  of  prowess,  their  sagacious  counsel,  their 
superhuman  power  of  overcoming  obstacles  and  rescuing  from 
danger  or  death  the  golden-haired  princess,  the  unhappy  queen 
mother,  or  the  intrepid  but  unfortunate  prince. 

The  giants  and  ogres  and  witches  in  the  fairy  stories  need 
not  greatly  affright  even  the  youngest  readers.  For  the  most 
part  they  overreach  themselves  in  ill-doing  and  are  quite  at 
the  mercy  (as  they  properly  should  be)  of  the  brave  and  vir 
tuous  knight  or  the  clever  little  princess. 

[xiv] 


INTRODUCTION 

If  you  chance  to  be  an  elder  brother  or  sister  it  may  surprise 
and  distress  you  to  find  that  all  the  grace,  courage,  -wit,  and 
beauty,  as  well  as  most  of  the  good  fortune,  are  rested  in  the 
youngest  member  of  the  household.  The  fairy-tale  family  has 
customs  of  its  owm  when  it  comes  to  the  distribution  of  vices 
and  virtues,  and  the  elder  sons  and  daugJiters  are  likely  to 
be  haughty,  selfish,  and  cruel,  while  the  younger  ones  are  as 
enchantingly  beautiful  as  they  are  marvelously  amiable.  The 
malevolent  stepmother  still  further  complicates  the  domestic 
situation,  and  she  is  so  wicked  and  malicious  that  if  it  were 
not  for  the  dear  and  delightful  one  in  your  own  household, 
or  the  equally  lovable  one  next  door,  you  might  think  step 
mothers  worse  than  ogres  or  witches.  I  cannot  account  for 
this  prejudice,  except  that  perhaps  the  ideal  of  mother  love 
and  mother  goodness  has  always  been  so  high  in  the  world 
tJiat  the  slightest  deviation  from  it  has  been  held  up  to  scorn. 
As  for  the  superhuman  youngest  son  and  daughter,  perhaps 
they  are  used  only  to  show  us  that  the  least  and  humblest 
things  and  persons  are  capable  of  becoming  the  mightiest  and 
most  powerful. 

Wiseacres  (and  people  who  have  no  love  for  golden  apples) 
say  that  in  many  of  these  tales  "  The  greater  the  rogue  the 
better  his  fortune";  but  the  Grimm  brothers,  most  famous 
and  most  faithful  of  fairy-tale  collectors,  reply  that  the  right 
user  of  these  narratives  "  will  find  no  evil  therein,  but,  as  an 
old  proverb  has  it,  merely  a  ivitness  of  his  own  heart.  Chil 
dren  point  at  the  stars  without  fear,  while  others,  as  the  popu 
lar  superstition  goes,  thereby  offend  the  angels." 

The  moment  you  have  plucked  a  golden  apple  from  the 
magic  tree  in  the  king's  garden  (which  phrase,  being  inter 
preted,  means  whenever  you  begin  one  of  the  tales  in  this 
book)  you  will  say  farewell  to  time  and  space  as  readily  as 
if  you  had  put  on  a  wishing  cap,  or  a  pair  of  seven  league 
boots,  or  had  bloitm  an  elfin  pipe  to  call  the  fairy  host.  It 
matters  not  when  anything  happened.  It  is  "  Once  upon  a 
time"  or  "A  long  time  ago"  As  to  just  where,  that  is  quite 
as  uncertain  and  unimportant,  for  we  all  feel  familiar  with 

[XV] 


INTRODUCTION 

the  fairy-tale  landscape,  which  has  delightful  features  all  its 
own,  and  easily  recognisable.  The  house  is  ahvays  in  the  heart 
of  a  deep,  deep  wood  like  the  one  "amidst  the  forest  darkly 
green  "  where  Snowwhite  lived  with  the  dwarfs.  You  knoiv 
the  Well  at  the  World's  End  whence  arose  the  Frog  Prince; 
the  Glass  Mountain  that  Cinderlad  climbed,  first  in  his  copper, 
then  in  his  silver,  then  in  his  golden  armor;  the  enchanted 
castle  where  the  White  Cat  dwelt;  the  sea  over  which  Faithful 
John  sailed  with  the  Princess  of  the  Golden  Roof. 

In  the  story  of  The  Spindle,  the  Shuttle,  and  the  Needle,  the 
prince  has  just  galloped  past  the  cottage  in  the  wood  where 
the  maiden  is  turning  her  wheel,  when  the  spindle  leaps  out 
of  her  hand  to  follow  him  on  his  zvay — leaps  and  dances  and 
pursues  him  along  the  woodland  path,  the  golden  thread  drag 
ging  behind.  Then  the  prince  turns  (fairy  princes  always 
turn  at  the  right  time),  sees  the  magic  spindle,  and,  led  by 
the  shimmering  thread,  finds  his  way  back  to  the  lovely  prin 
cess,  the  sweetest,  loveliest,  thriftiest,  most  beivitching  little 
princess  in  the  whole  world,  and  a  princess  he  might  never 
have  found  had  it  not  been  for  the  kind  oifices  of  the  spindle, 
shuttle,  and  needle. 

This  book  is  the  magic  spindle;  the  stories  that  were  golden 
apples  have  melted  into  a  golden  thread,  a  train  of  bright  im 
ages  that  will  lead  you  into  a  radiant  country  where  no  one 
ever  grozvs  old;  where,  when  the  prince  finds  and  loves  the 
princess,  he  marries  her  and  they  are  happy  ever  after ;  where 
the  obstacles  of  life  melt  under  the  touch  of  comprehending 
kindness;  where  menacing  clouds  of  misfortune  are  blown 
away  by  gay  good  will;  and  where  wicked  little  trolls  are  in 
variably  defeated  by  wise  simpletons. 

We  feel  that  we  can  do  anything  when  we  journey  in  this 
enchanting  country.  Come,  then,  let  us  mount  and  be  off;  we 
can  ride  fast  and  far,  for  imagination  is  the  gayest  and  fieetest 
of  steeds.  Let  us  climb  the  gilded  linden  tree  and  capture  the 
Golden  Bird.  Let  us  plunge  into  the  heart  of  the  Briar  Wood 
where  the  Rose  o'  the  World  lies  sleeping.  Let  us  break  the 
spell  that  holds  all  her  court  in  drowsy  slumber,  and  then, 

[xvi] 


INTRODUCTION 

coming  out  into  the  sunshine,  mount  and  ride  again  into  the 
forest.  As  we  pass  the  Fairy  Tree  on  the  edge  of  the  glade  we 
will  pluck  a  Merry  Leaf,  for  this,  when  tucked  away  in  belt 
or  pouch,  will  give  us  a  glad  heart  and  a  laughing  eye  all  the 
day  long.  We  shall  meet  ogres,  no  doubt,  and  the  more  the 
merrier,  for,  like  Finette,  ive  have  but  to  cry  "Abracadabra!" 
to  defeat  not  ogres  only,  but  wicked  bailiffs,  steivards,  senes 
chals,  witch  hags,  and  even  the  impossibly  vicious  step 
mother!  Cormoran  and  Blunderbore  will  quail  before  us,  for 
our  magic  weapons,  like  those  of  Cornish  Jack,  will  be  all- 
poivcrful.  Then,  flushed  with  triumph  we  will  mount  the  back 
of  the  North  Wind  and  search  for  the  castle  that  lies  East 
o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon.  Daylight  will  fade,  the 
stars  come  out,  the  fire  burn  low  on  the  hearth,  playmates' 
voices  sound  unheeded.  We  shall  still  sit  in  the  corner  of  the 
window  scat  with  the  red-covered  volume  on  our  knees;  for 
Jiours  ago  the  magic  spindle  wrought  its  spell,  and  we  have 
been  following  the  golden  thread  that  leads  from  this  work- 
a-day  world  into  fairyland. 

KATE  DOUGLAS  WIGGIN 


The  Fairy  T^i 


East   o    the   Sun   and   West   o     the 
Moon 


on  a  time  there  was  a  poor  husbandman  who  had  so 
many  children  that  he  hadn't  much  of  either  food  or 
clothing  to  give  them.  Pretty  children  they  all  were, 
but  the  prettiest  was  the  youngest  daughter,  who  was  so  lovely 
that  there  was  no  end  to  all  her  loveliness. 

So  one  day  —  'twas  on  a  Thursday  evening,  late  at  the  fall 
of  the  year,  the  weather  was  so  wild  and  rough  outside,  and 
it  was  so  cruelly  dark,  and  rain  fell  and  wind  blew  till  the 
walls  of  the  cottage  shook  again  —  there  they  all  sat  round  the 
fire,  busy  with  this  thing  and  that.  But  just  then,  all  at  once, 
something  gave  three  taps  on  the  windowpane.  Then  the 
father  went  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  when  he  got 
out  of  doors,  what  should  he  see  but  a  great  big  white  bear  ! 

"  Good  evening  to  you,"  said  the  White  Bear. 

"  The  same  to  you,"  said  the  man. 

"Will  you  give  me  your  youngest  daughter?  If  you  will, 
I'll  make  you  as  rich  as  you  are  now  poor,"  said  the  Bear. 

Well,  the  man  would  not  be  at  all  sorry  to  be  rich,  but  still 
he  thought  he  must  have  a  bit  of  a  talk  with  his  daughter  first, 
so  he  went  in  and  told  them  how  there  was  a  great  white  bear 
waiting  outside,  who  had  given  his  word  to  make  them  rich 
if  he  could  only  have  the  youngest  daughter. 

The  lassie  said  "  No  "  outright.  Nothing  could  get  her  to 
say  anything  else.  So  the  man  went  out  and  settled  it  with 
the  White  Bear  that  he  should  come  again  the  next  Thursday 
evening  and  get  an  answer. 

Meantime,  he  talked  his  daughter  over,  and  kept  on  telling 
her  of  all  the  riches  they  would  get,  and  how  well  off  she 

[3] 


THE  FAIRY  RING 

would  be  herself  ;axid  so  at  last  she  thought  better  of  it,  and 
washed  and  mended  her  rags,  made  herself  as  smart  as  she 
;could,  and  was  ready  to  \start. 

Next  Thursday  evening  came  the  White  Bear  to  fetch  her, 
and  she  got  upon  his  back  with  her  bundle,  and  off  they  went. 

So,  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  the  White  Bear 
said: 

"Are  you  afraid?" 

No,  she  wasn't. 

"  Well,  mind  and  hold  tight  to  my  shaggy  coat,  and  then 
there's  nothing  to  fear,"  said  the  White  Bear. 

So  she  rode  a  long,  long  way,  until  they  came  to  a  very 
steep  hill.  There,  on  the  face  of  it,  the  White  Bear  gave  a 
knock,  and  a  door  opened,  and  they  came  into  a  castle  where 
there  were  many  rooms,  all  lit  up,  rooms  gleaming  with  silver 
and  gold,  and  there,  too,  was  a  table  ready  laid,  and  it  was  all 
as  grand  as  grand  could  be. 

Then  the  White  Bear  gave  her  a  silver  bell,  and  when  she 
wanted  anything  she  had  only  to  ring  it  and  she  would  get  it 
at  once. 

Well,  after  she  had  eaten  and  drunk,  and  evening  wore  on, 
she  got  sleepy  after  her  journey,  and  thought  she  would  like  to 
go  to  bed.  So  she  rang  the  bell,  and  she  had  scarce  taken 
hold  of  it  before  she  came  into  a  chamber  where  there  was  a 
bed  made,  as  fair  and  white  as  anyone  could  wish  to  sleep  in, 
with  silken  pillows  and  curtains  and  gold  fringe. 

She  slept  quite  soundly  until  morning;  then  she  found  her 
breakfast  waiting  in  a  pretty  room.  When  she  had  eaten  it, 
the  girl  made  up  her  mind  to  take  a  walk  around,  in  order  to 
find  out  if  there  were  any  other  people  there  besides  herself. 

But  she  saw  nobody  but  an  old  woman,  whom  she  took  to 
be  a  witch,  and  as  the  dame  beckoned  to  her,  the  girl  went 
at  once. 

"  Little  girl,"  said  the  Witch,  "  if  you'll  promise  not  to  say 
a  word  to  anybody,  I'll  tell  you  the  secret  about  this  place." 

Of  course,  the  girl  promised  at  once,  so  the  old  dame  said: 

"  In  this  house  there  lives  a  White  Bear,  but  you  must  know 

[4] 


THE  FAIRY  RING 

that  he  is  only  a  White  Bear  in  the  daytime.  Every  night  he 
throws  off  his  beast  shape  and  becomes  a  man,  for  he  is  under 
the  spell  of  a  wicked  fairy.  Now,  be  sure  and  not  mention 
this  to  anybody,  or  misfortune  will  come,"  and  with  these 
words  she  disappeared. 

So  things  went  on  happily  for  some  time,  but  at  last  the 
girl  began  to  grow  sad  and  sorrowful,  for  she  went  about  all 
day  alone,  and  she  longed  to  go  home  to  see  her  father  and 
mother  and  brothers  and  sisters. 

"  Well,  well/'  said  the  Bear,  "  perhaps  there's  a  cure  for  all 
this  sorrow.  But  you  must  promise  me  one  thing.  When 
you  go  home,  you  mustn't  talk  about  me,  except  when  they  are 
all  present,  or,  if  you  do,  you  will  bring  bad  luck  to  both  of  us." 

So  one  Sunday  the  White  Bear  came  and  said  now  they 
would  set  off  to  see  her  father  and  mother. 

Well,  off  they  started,  she  sitting  on  his  back,  and  they  went 
*ar  and  long.  At  last  they  came  to  a  grand  house,  and  there 
her  brothers  and  sisters  were  running  about  out  of  doors  at 
play,  and  everything  was  so  pretty  'twas  a  joy  to  see. 

"  This  is  where  your  father  and  mother  live  now,"  said  the 
White  Bear;  "  but  don't  forget  what  I  told  you,  or  you'll  make 
us  both  unlucky." 

No — bless  her! — she'd  not  forget,  and  when  they  reached 
the  house  the  White  Bear  turned  right  about  and  left  her. 

Then,  when  she  went  in  to  see  her  father  and  mother,  there 
was  such  joy  there  was  no  end  to  it.  None  of  them  could 
thank  her  enough  for  all  the  good  fortune  she  had  brought 
them. 

They  had  everything  they  wished,  as  fine  as  could  be,  and 
they  all  wanted  to  know  how  she  got  on  and  where  she  lived. 

Well,  she  said  it  was  very  good  to  live  where  she  did,  and 
she  had  all  she  wished.  What  she  said  besides  I  don't  know, 
but  I  don't  believe  any  of  them  had  the  right  end  of  the  stick, 
or  that  they  got  much  out  of  her. 

But  after  dinner  her  sister  called  her  outside  the  room,  and 
asked  all  manner  of  questions  about  the  White  Bear — whether 
he  was  cross,  and  whether  she  ever  set  eyes  on  him,  and  such 

[5] 


THE  FAIRY  RING 

like — and  the  end  of  it  all  was  that  she  told  her  sister  the 
story  of  how  the  White  Bear  was  under  a  spell. 

But  the  other  girl  wouldn't  listen  to  the  story,  for  she  said 
it  couldn't  be  true,  and  this  made  the  youngest  daughter  very 
angry. 

In  the  evening  the  White  Bear  came  and  fetched  her  away, 
and  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way  he  asked  her  whether 
she  had  done  as  he  had  told  her  and  refused  to  speak  about 
him. 

Then  she  confessed  that  she  had  spoken  a  few  words  to  her 
sister  about  him,  and  the  Bear  was  very  angry,  for  he  said  she 
would  surely  bring  bad  luck  to  them  both. 

When  they  reached  home,  she  remembered  how  her  sister 
had  refused  to  believe  the  story  about  the  White  Bear,  so  in 
the  night,  when  she  knew  that  the  Bear  was  fast  asleep,  she 
stole  out  of  bed,  lighted  her  candle,  and  crept  into  his  room. 
Yes,  there  he  lay  fast  asleep,  but  instead  of  being  a  White 
Bear,  he  was  the  handsomest  Prince  you  ever  saw.  She  gave 
such  a  start  that  she  dropped  three  spots  of  hot  tallow  from 
the  candle  on  to  his  pillow,  so  she  ran  off  in  a  great  fright. 

Next  morning  the  White  Bear  said  to  her:  "  I  fear  you  have 
found  out  my  secret,  for  I  saw  the  drops  of  tallow  on  my  pillow 
this  morning,  and  now  I  know  that  you  spoke  to  your  sister 
about  me.  If  you  had  only  kept  quiet  for  a  whole  year,  then 
I  should  have  become  a  man  for  always,  and  I  should  have 
made  you  my  wife  at  once.  But  now  all  ties  are  snapped  be 
tween  us,  and  I  must  go  away  to  a  big  castle  which  stands 
East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the  moon,  and  there,  too,  lives  a 
Princess  with  a  nose  three  ells  long,  and  she's  the  wife  I  must 
have  now." 

The  girl  wept,  and  took  it  ill,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it, 
go  he  must. 

Then  she  asked  if  she  mightn't  go  with  him. 

No!  she  mightn't. 

"  Tell  me  the  way,  then,"  she  said,  "  and  I'll  search  you 
out ;  that,  surely,  I  may  get  leave  to  do." 

Yes;  she  might  do  that,  but  there  was  no  way  to  the  place. 

[6J 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

It  lay  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the  moon,  and  thither  she'd 
never  find  her  way. 

So  next  morning,  when  she  woke,  both  Prince  and  castle 
were  gone,  and  there  she  lay  on  a  little  green  patch,  in  the 
midst  of  the  thick,  gloomy  wood,  and  by  her  side  lay  the  same 
bundle  of  rags  that  she  had  brought  with  her  from  her  old 
home. 

So  when  she  had  rubbed  the  sleep  from  her  eyes,  and  wept 
till  she  was  tired,  she  set  out  on  her  way  and  walked  many, 
many  days,  till  she  came  to  a  lofty  crag.  Under  it  sat  an  old 
hag,  who  played  with  a  golden  apple,  which  she  tossed  about. 
The  lassie  asked  her  if  she  knew  the  way  to  the  Prince  who 
lived  in  the  castle  that  lay  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the 
moon,  and  who  was  to  marry  a  Princess  with  a  nose  three  ells 
long. 

"How  did  you  come  to  know  about  him?"  said  the  old 
hag ;  "  but  maybe  you  are  the  lassie  who  ought  to  have  had 
him?" 

Yes,  she  was. 

"So,  so,  it's  you,  is  it?"  said  the  old  hag.  "Well,  all  I 
know  about  him  is  that  he  lives  in  the  castle  that  lies  East  o' 
the  sun  and  West  o'  the  moon,  and  thither  you'll  come,  late 
or  never ;  but  still  you  may  have  the  loan  of  my  horse,  and  on 
him  you  can  ride  to  my  next  neighbor.  Maybe  she'll  be  able 
to  tell  you  what  you  want  to  know;  and  when  you  get  there, 
just  give  the  horse  a  switch  under  the  left  ear,  and  beg  him 
to  be  off  home;  and  stay,  you  may  take  this  golden  apple 
with  you." 

So  she  got  upon  the  horse  and  rode  a  long,  long  time,  till 
she  came  to  another  crag,  under  which  sat  another  old  hag, 
with  a  golden  carding-comb  in  her  hand.  The  lassie  asked 
her  if  she  knew  the  way  to  the  castle  that  lay  East  o'  the  sun 
and  West  o'  the  moon,  and  she  answered,  like  the  first  old  hag, 
that  she  knew  nothing  about  it,  except  that  it  was  East  o'  the 
sun  and  West  o'  the  moon. 

"  And  thither  you'll  come,  late  or  never;  but  you  shall  have 
the  loan  of  my  horse  to  go  to  my  next  neighbor;  maybe  she'll 

m 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

tell  you  all  about  it;  and  when  you  get  there,  just  switch  the 
horse  under  the  left  ear  and  beg  him  to  be  off  home." 

And  this  old  hag  gave  her  the  golden  carding-comb ;  it 
might  be  she'd  find  some  use  for  it,  she  said.  So  the  lassie  got 
up  on  the  horse  and  rode  far,  far  away,  and  had  a  weary  time ; 
and  so  at  last  she  came  to  another  great  crag,  under  which  sat 
another  old  hag,  spinning  with  a  golden  spinning  wheel.  The 
lassie  asked  her,  too,  if  she  knew  the  way  to  the  Prince  and 
where  the  castle  was  that  lay  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the 
moon.  So  it  was  the  same  thing  over  again. 

"  Maybe  it's  you  who  ought  to  have  had  the  Prince?  "  said 
the  old  hag. 

Yes,  it  was. 

But,  she,  too,  didn't  know  the  way  a  bit  better  than  the  other 
two.  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the  moon  she  knew  it  was ; 
that  was  all. 

"And  thither  you'll  come,  late  or  never;  but  I'll  lend  you 
my  horse,  and  then  I  think  you'd  best  ride  to  the  East  Wind 
and  ask  him;  maybe  he  knows  those  parts  and  can  blow  you 
thither.  But  when  you  get  to  him,  you  need  only  give  the 
horse  a  switch  under  the  left  ear,  and  he'll  trot  home  of 
himself." 

And  so,  too,  she  gave  the  lassie  the  golden  spinning  wheel. 

"  Maybe  you'll  find  a  use  for  it,"  said  the  old  hag. 

Then  on  she  rode  a  great  many  weary  days  before  she  got 
to  the  East  Wind's  house;  but  at  last  she  did  reach  it,  and 
then  she  asked  the  East  Wind  if  he  could  tell  her  the  way  to 
the  Prince  who  dwelt  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the  moon. 
Yes,  the  East  Wind  had  often  heard  about  them,  both  the 
Prince  and  the  castle,  but  he  couldn't  tell  her  the  way,  for 
he'd  never  blown  so  far. 

"  But,  if  you  will,  I'll  go  with  you  to  my  brother,  the  West 
Wind;  maybe  he's  been  there,  for  he's  much  stronger.  So, 
if  you  will  just  jump  on  my  back,  I'll  carry  you  thither." 

Yes,  she  got  on  his  back,  and  I  should  just  think  they  went 
swiftly  along. 

So,  when  they  reached  there,  they  went  into  the  West 

[8] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Wind's  house,  and  the  East  Wind  said  the  lassie  he  had 
brought  was  the  one  that  ought  to  have  married  the  Prince 
who  lived  in  the  castle  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the  moon, 
and  that  she  had  set  out  to  seek  him.  He  then  said  how  he 
had  come  with  her,  and  would  be  glad  to  know  if  the  West 
Wind  knew  how  to  get  to  the  castle. 

"  Nay,"  said  the  West  Wind,  "  for  I've  never  blown  so  far; 
but,  if  you  will,  I'll  go  with  you  to  our  brother,  the  South 
Wind,  for  he's  much  stronger  than  either  of  us,  and  he  has 
flapped  his  wings  both  far  and  wide.  Maybe  he'll  tell  you; 
so  you  can  get  on  my  back  and  I'll  carry  you  to  him." 

Yes,  she  got  on  his  back,  and  so  they  traveled  to  the 
South  Wind,  and  they  weren't  so  very  long  on  the  way,  I 
should  think. 

When  they  reached  there,  the  West  Wind  asked  him  if  he 
could  tell  them  the  way  to  the  castle  that  lay  East  o'  the  sun 
and  West  o'  the  moon,  for  this  was  the  lassie  who  ought  to 
have  married  the  Prince  who  lived  there. 

"You  don't  say  so!  That's  she,  is  it?"  said  the  South 
Wind.  "  Well,  I've  blustered  about  in  most  places  in  my 
time,  but  so  far  I  have  never  blown;  but,  if  you  will,  I'll  take 
you  to  my  brother,  the  North  Wind;  he  is  the  oldest  and 
strongest  of  all  of  us.  If  he  doesn't  know  where  to  find  the 
place,  you  will  never  find  anybody  to  tell  you  where  it  is. 
You  can  get  on  my  back  and  I'll  carry  you  thither." 

Yes,  she  got  on  his  back,  and  away  he  went  from  his  house 
at  a  very  high  rate,  and  this  time,  too,  she  wasn't  long  on 
her  way. 

When  they  got  to  the  North  Wind's  house,  he  was  so 
wild  and  cross  that  the  puffs  came  from  quite  a  long  way 
off. 

"WHAT  DO  YOU  WANT?"  he  roared  out  to  them,  in 
such  a  voice  that  it  made  them  both  shiver. 

"  Well,"  said  the  South  Wind,  "  you  needn't  talk  like  that, 
for  here  I  am,  your  brother,  the  South  Wind,  and  here  is 
the  lassie  who  ought  to  have  had  the  Prince  who  dwells  at 
the  castle  that  lies  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the  moon, 

[9] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

and  now  she  wants  to  know  if  you  were  ever  there,  and  can 
tell  her  the  way,  for  she  would  be  so  glad  to  find  it  again." 

"  YES!  I  KNOW  WELL  ENOUGH  WHERE  IT  IS," 
said  the  North  Wind.  "  Once  in  my  life  I  blew  an  aspen  leaf 
there,  but  I  was  so  tired  that  I  couldn't  blow  another  puff 
for  days  after.  But  if  you  really  wish  to  go  there,  and  aren't 
afraid  to  trust  yourself  to  me,  I'll  take  you  on  my  back  and 
blow  you  thither." 

Yes!  with  all  her  heart.  She  must  and  would  get  thither, 
if  it  were  possible  in  any  way;  and  as  for  fear,  however  madly 
he  went,  she  wouldn't  be  at  all  afraid. 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  the  North  Wind.  "  But  you  must 
sleep  here  to-night,  for  we  must  have  the  whole  day  before 
us  if  we  are  to  get  thither  at  all." 

Early  next  morning  the  North  Wind  woke  her,  and  puffed 
himself  up,  and  blew  himself  out,  and  made  himself  so  stout 
and  big  'twas  fearful  to  look  at  him ;  so  off  they  went,  up 
through  the  air,  as  if  they  would  never  stop  till  they  came 
to  the  world's  end. 

Down  below  there  was  such  a  storm,  it  threw  down  long 
tracts  of  wood  and  many  houses,  and  when  it  swept  over  the 
great  sea,  ships  foundered  by  hundreds. 

So  they  tore  on  and  on — nobody  can  believe  how  far  they 
went — and  all  the  while  they  still  went  over  the  sea,  and  the 
North  Wind  got  more  and  more  weary,  and  so  out  of  breath 
he  could  scarce  get  out  a  puff.  His  wings  drooped  and 
drooped,  till  at  last  he  sank  so  low  that  the  crests  of  the  waves 
dashed  over  his  heels. 

"  Are  you  afraid?  "  asked  the  North  Wind. 

No,  she  wasn't. 

But  they  weren't  very  far  from  land,  and  the  North  Wind 
had  still  so  much  strength  in  him  that  he  managed  to  throw 
her  upon  the  shore  under  the  windows  of  the  castle  which 
lay  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o'  the  moon ;  but  then  he  was  so 
weak  and  worn  out  that  he  had  to  stay  there  and  rest  for 
many  days  before  he  was  fit  to  return  home. 

Next  morning  the  lassie  sat  down  under  the  castle  window 

[10] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

and  began  to  play  with  the  golden  apple;  and  the  first  person 
she  saw  was  Long-nose,  who  was  to  marry  the  Prince. 

"What  do  you  want  for  your  golden  apple,  lassie?"  said 
Long-nose;  and  she  threw  up  the  window. 

"  It's  not  for  sale,  for  gold  or  money,"  said  the  lassie. 

"  If  it's  not  for  sale  for  gold  or  money,  what  is  it  that  you 
will  sell  it  for?  "  said  the  Princess.  "  You  may  name  your 
own  price  for  it." 

"  Well,  if  you  will  let  me  speak  a  few  words  alone  with  the 
Prince  who  lives  in  the  castle,  I  will  give  you  the  apple," 
she  answered. 

Yes,  she  might;  that  could  be  done.  So  the  Princess  got 
the  golden  apple,  and  the  lassie  was  shown  into  the  Prince's 
room.  But  when  she  got  inside  she  found  that  the  Prince 
was  fast  asleep,  and  although  she  shook  him  and  called  him 
loudly,  it  was  no  use,  for  she  couldn't  wake  him,  so  she  had 
to  go  away  again. 

Next  day  she  sat  down  under  the  castle  window  again,  and 
began  to  card  with  her  golden  carding-comb ;  and  the  same 
thing  happened.  The  Princess  asked  what  she  wanted  for  it; 
and  she  said  it  wasn't  for  sale  for  either  gold  or  money,  but 
that  if  she  might  have  a  few  words  alone  with  the  Prince, 
the  Princess  should  have  the  comb. 

So  she  was  taken  up  to  the  Prince's  room,  and  again  she 
found  him  fast  asleep;  and  although  she  wept  and  shook  him 
for  quite  a  long  time  she  couldn't  get  life  into  him. 

So  the  next  morning  the  lassie  sat  down  under  the  castle 
window  and  began  to  spin  with  her  golden  spinning  wheel; 
and  that,  too,  the  Princess  with  the  long  nose  wanted  to  have. 

So  she  threw  up  the  window  and  asked  what  the  lassie 
wanted  for  it;  and  the  girl  said,  as  she  had  said  twice  before, 
that  if  she  might  have  a  few  words  alone  with  the  Prince 
the  Princess  might  have  the  wheel,  and  welcome. 

Yes,  she  might  do  that;  and  the  lassie  was  shown  again  into 
the  Prince's  room.  This  time  he  was  wide  awake,  and  he 
was  very  pleased  indeed  to  see  her. 

"Ah!"  said  the  Prince,  "you've  just  come  in  the  nick  of 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

time,  for  to-morrow  is  to  be  our  wedding  day ;  but  now  I  won't 
have  Long-nose,  and  you  are  the  bride  for  me.  I'll  just  say 
that  I  want  to  find  out  what  my  wife  is  fit  for,  and  then  I'll 
beg  her  to  wash  the  pillow  slip  which  has  on  it  the  three  spots 
of  tallow.  She  will  be  sure  to  say  '  Yes  ' ;  but  when  she  tries 
to  get  out  the  spots  she'll  soon  find  that  it  is  not  possible, 
for  she  is  a  troll,  like  all  the  rest  of  her  family,  and  it  is  not 
possible  for  a  troll  to  get  rid  of  the  marks.  Then  I'll  say  that 
I  won't  have  any  other  bride  than  she  who  can  wash  out  the 
spots  of  tallow,  and  I'll  call  you  in  to  do  it." 

The  wedding  was  to  take  place  next  day,  so  just  before 
the  ceremony  the  Prince  said : 

"  First  of  all,  I'd  just  like  to  see  what  my  bride  is  fit 
for." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  mother,  "  I'm  quite  willing." 

"  Well,  I  have  a  pillow  slip  which,  somehow  or  other,  has  got 
some  spots  of  grease  on  it,  and  I  have  sworn  never  to  take  any 
bride  but  the  woman  who  is  able  to  wash  them  out  for  me.  If 
she  can't  do  that,  she  is  not  worth  having." 

Well,  that  was  no  great  thing,  they  said,  so  they  agreed; 
and  she  with  the  long  nose  began  to  wash  away  as  hard  as 
ever  she  could;  but  the  more  she  rubbed  and  scrubbed  the 
bigger  the  spots  grew. 

"  Ah!  "  said  the  old  hag,  her  mother,  "  you  can't  wash;  let 
me  try." 

But  she  hadn't  long  taken  the  job  in  hand  before  it  got 
far  worse  than  ever;  and  with  all  her  rubbing,  wringing,  and 
scrubbing,  the  spots  grew  bigger  and  blacker  and  darker  and 
uglier. 

Then  all  the  other  trolls  began  to  wash;  but  the  longer  it 
lasted  the  blacker  and  uglier  it  grew,  until  at  last  it  looked 
as  though  it  had  been  up  the  chimney. 

"Ah!"  said  the  Prince,  "you  are  none  of  you  worth  a 
straw;  you  can't  wash.  Why,  there  outside  sits  a  beggar 
lassie,  and  I'll  be  bound  she  knows  how  to  wash  better  than 
the  whole  lot  of  you." 

So  he  shouted  to  the  lassie  to  come  in,  and  in  she,  came. 

[12] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Can  you  wash  this  clean,  lassie?  "  said  he. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  think  I  can." 

And  almost  before  she  had  taken  it  and  dipped  it  in  the 
water,  it  was  white  as  driven  snow,  and  whiter  still. 

"  Yes,  you  are  the  lassie  for  me,"  said  the  Prince. 

At  that  the  old  hag  flew  in  such  a  rage  that  she  burst  on 
the  spot,  and  the  Princess  with  the  long  nose  after  her;  and 
then  the  whole  pack  of  trolls  did  the  same. 

As  for  the  Prince  and  Princess,  they  had  a  grand  wedding, 
and  lived  happily  at  the  castle  East  o'  the  sun  and  West  o' 
the  moon  until  the  end  of  their  days. 


The   Golden   Lantern,  Golden    Goat,   and 
Golden  Cloak 


was  once  a  poor  widow  who  had  three  sons. 
The  two  elder  went  out  to  work  for  their  living  and 
while  at  home  they  were  of  little  use,  as  they  seldom 
did  as  their  mother  wished,  whatever  she  might  say  to  them. 
But  the  youngest  lad  always  remained  at  home,  and  helped 
the  old  widow  in  her  daily  occupations.  Hence  he  was  much 
beloved  by  his  mother,  but  disliked  by  his  brothers,  who  in 
mockery  gave  him  the  nickname  of  Pinkel. 

One  day  the  old  widow  said  to  her  sons  :  "  You  must  all 
go  abroad  in  the  world,  and  seek  your  fortunes  while  you  can. 
I  am  no  longer  able  to  feed  you  here  at  home,  now  that  you 
are  grown  up."  The  lads  answered  that  they  wished  for  noth 
ing  better,  since  it  was  contrary  to  their  mother's  will  that 
they  should  remain  at  home.  They  then  prepared  for  their 
departure,  and  set  out  on  their  journey  ;  but,  after  wander 
ing  about  from  place  to  place,  were  unable  to  procure  any 
employment. 

After  journeying  thus  for  a  long  time,  they  came,  late  one 
evening,  to  a  vast  lake.  Far  out  in  the  water  there  was  an 

[13] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

island,  on  which  there  appeared  a  strong  light,  as  of  fire.  The 
lads  stopped  on  shore  observing  the  wondrous  light,  and  thence 
concluded  that  there  must  be  human  beings  in  the  place.  As 
it  was  now  dark,  and  the  brothers  knew  not  where  to  find  a 
shelter  for  the  night,  they  resolved  on  taking  a  boat  that  lay 
among  the  reeds,  and  rowing  over  to  the  island  to  beg  a  lodg 
ing.  With  this  view  they  placed  themselves  in  the  boat  and 
rowed  across.  On  approaching  the  island  they  perceived  a 
little  hut  standing  at  the  water's  edge ;  on  reaching  which  they 
discovered  that  the  bright  light  that  shone  over  the  neighbor 
hood  proceeded  from  a  golden  lantern  that  stood  at  the  door 
of  the  hut.  In  the  yard  without,  a  large  goat  was  wandering 
about,  with  golden  horns,  to  which  small  bells  were  fastened, 
that  gave  forth  a  pleasing  sound  whenever  the  animal  moved. 
The  brothers  wondered  much  at  all  this,  but  most  of  all  at 
the  old  crone,  who  with  her  daughter  inhabited  the  hut.  The 
crone  was  both  old  and  ugly,  but  was  sumptuously  clad  in  a 
pelisse  or  cloak,  worked  so  artificially  with  golden  threads  that 
it  glittered  like  burnished  gold  in  every  hem.  The  lads  saw 
now  very  clearly  that  they  had  come  to  no  ordinary  human 
being,  but  to  a  troll. 

After  some  deliberation  the  brothers  entered,  and  saw  the 
crone  standing  by  the  fireplace,  and  stirring  with  a  ladle  in  a 
large  pot  that  was  boiling  on  the  hearth.  They  told  their 
story  and  prayed  to  be  allowed  to  pass  the  night  there;  but 
the  crone  answered  No!  at  the  same  time  directing  them  to  a 
royal  palace,  which  lay  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  While 
speaking  she  kept  looking  intently  on  the  youngest  boy,  as  he 
was  standing  and  casting  his  eyes  over  everything  in  the  hut. 
The  crone  said  to  him :  "  What  is  thy  name,  my  boy  ?  "  The 
lad  answered  smartly:  "  I  am  called  Pinkel."  The  Troll  then 
said :  "  Thy  brothers  can  go  their  way,  but  thou  shalt  stay 
here ;  for  thou  appearest  to  me  very  crafty,  and  my  mind  tells 
me  that  I  have  no  good  to  expect  from  thee  if  thou  shouldst 
stay  long  at  the  King's  palace."  Pinkel  now  humbly  begged 
to  be  allowed  to  accompany  his  brothers,  and  promised  never 
to  cause  the  crone  harm  or  annoyance.  At  length  he  also 

[14] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

had  leave  to  depart;  after  which  the  brothers  hastened  to  the 
boat,  not  a  little  glad  that  all  three  had  escaped  so  well  in  this 
adventure. 

Toward  the  morning  they  arrived  at  a  royal  palace,  larger 
and  more  magnificent  than  anything  they  had  ever  seen  before. 
They  entered  and  begged  for  employment.  The  eldest  two 
were  received  as  helpers  in  the  royal  stables,  and  the  youngest 
was  taken  as  page  to  the  King's  young  son;  and,  being  a 
sprightly,  intelligent  lad,  he  soon  won  the  good  will  of  every 
one,  and  rose  from  day  to  day  in  the  King's  favor.  At  this  his 
brothers  were  sorely  nettled,  not  enduring  that  he  should  be 
preferred  to  themselves.  At  length  they  consulted  together 
how  they  might  compass  the  fall  of  their  young  brother,  in 
the  belief  that  afterwards  they  should  prosper  better  than 
before. 

They  therefore  presented  themselves  one  day  before  the 
King,  and  gave  him  an  exaggerated  account  of  the  beautiful 
lantern  that  shed  light  over  both  land  and  water,  adding  that 
it  ill  beseemed  a  king  to  lack  so  precious  a  jewel.  On  hearing 
this  the  King's  attention  was  excited,  and  he  asked :  "  Where 
is  this  lantern  to  be  found,  and  who  can  procure  it  for  me?  " 
The  brothers  answered :  "  No  one  can  do  that  unless  it  be 
our  brother  Pinkel.  He  knows  best  where  the  lantern  is  to  be 
found."  The  King  was  now  filled  with  a  desire  to  obtain  the 
golden  lantern  about  which  he  had  heard  tell,  and  commanded 
the  youth  to  be  called.  When  Pinkel  came,  the  King  said : 
"  If  thou  canst  procure  me  the  golden  lantern  that  shines  over 
land  and  water  I  will  make  thee  the  chief  man  in  my  whole 
court."  The  youth  promised  to  do  his  best  to  execute  his 
lord's  behest,  and  the  King  praised  him  for  his  willingness; 
but  the  brothers  rejoiced  at  heart ;  for  they  well  knew  it  was 
a  perilous  undertaking,  which  could  hardly  terminate  fav 
orably. 

Pinkel  now  prepared  a  little  boat,  and,  unaccompanied  by 
anyone,  rowed  over  to  the  island  inhabited  by  the  Troll-crone. 
When  he  arrived  it  was  already  evening,  and  the  crone  was 
busied  in  boiling  porridge  for  supper,  as  was  her  custom.  The 

[15] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

youth  creeping  softly  up  to  the  roof  cast  from  time  to  time 
a  handful  of  salt  through  the  chimney,  so  that  it  fell  down 
into  the  pot  that  was  boiling  on  the  hearth.  When  the  por 
ridge  was  ready,  and  the  crone  had  begun  to  eat,  she  could 
not  conceive  what  had  made  it  so  salt  and  bitter.  She  was  out 
of  humor,  and  chided  her  daughter,  thinking  that  she  had  put 
too  much  salt  into  the  porridge ;  but  let  her  dilute  the  porridge 
as  she  might,  it  could  not  be  eaten,  so  salt  and  bitter  was  it. 
She  then  ordered  her  daughter  to  go  to  the  well,  that  was 
just  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  fetch  water,  in  order  to  pre 
pare  fresh  porridge.  The  maiden  answered :  "  How  can  I 
go  to  the  well  ?  It  is  so  dark  out  of  doors  that  I  cannot  find 
the  way  over  the  hill."  "  Then  take  my  gold  lantern,"  said 
the  crone,  peevishly.  The  girl  took  the  beautiful  gold  lantern 
accordingly,  and  hastened  away  to  fetch  the  water.  But  as 
she  stooped  to  lift  the  pail,  Pinkel,  who  was  on  the  watch, 
seized  her  by  the  feet,  and  cast  her  headlong  into  the  water. 
He  then  took  the  golden  lantern,  and  betook  himself  in  all 
haste  to  his  boat. 

In  the  meantime  the  crone  was  wondering  why  her  daughter 
stayed  out  so  long,  and,  at  the  same  moment,  chancing  to 
look  through  the  window  she  saw  the  light  gleaming  far  out 
on  the  water.  At  this  sight  she  was  sorely  vexed,  and  hurry 
ing  down  to  the  shore,  cried  aloud:  "Is  that  thou,  Pinkel?" 
The  youth  answered :  "  Yes,  dear  mother,  it  is  I."  The  Troll 
continued:  "Art  thou  not  a  great  knave?"  The  lad  an 
swered  :  "  Yes,  dear  mother,  I  am  so."  The  crone  now  be 
gan  to  lament  and  complain,  saying :  "  Ah !  what  a  fool  was 
I  to  let  thee  go  from  me;  I  might  have  been  sure  thou 
wouldst  play  me  some  trick.  If  thou  ever  comest  hither 
again,  thou  shalt  not  escape."  And  so  the  matter  rested  for 
that  time. 

Pinkel  now  returned  to  the  King's  palace,  and  became  the 
chief  person  at  court,  as  the  King  had  promised.  But  when 
the  brothers  were  informed  what  complete  success  he  had  had 
in  his  adventure,  they  became  yet  more  envious  and  embit 
tered  than  before,  and  often  consulted  together  how  they  might 

[16] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

accomplish  the  fall  of  their  young  brother,  and  gain  the  King's 
favor  for  themselves. 

Both  brothers  went,  therefore,  a  second  time  before  the  King, 
and  began  relating  at  full  length  about  the  beautiful  goat  that 
had  horns  of  the  purest  gold,  from  which  little  gold  bells  were 
suspended,  which  gave  forth  a  pleasing  sound  whenever  the 
animal  moved.  They  added  that  it  ill  became  so  rich  a  king 
to  lack  so  costly  a  treasure.  On  hearing  their  story,  the  King 
was  greatly  excited,  and  said :  "  Where  is  this  goat  to  be  found, 
and  who  can  procure  it  for  me  ?  "  The  brothers  answered : 
"  That  no  one  can  do,  unless  it  be  our  brother  Pinkel ;  for  he 
knows  best  where  the  goat  is  to  be  found."  The  King  then 
felt  a  strong  desire  to  possess  the  goat  with  the  golden  horns, 
and  therefore  commanded  the  youth  to  appear  before  him. 
When  Pinkel  came,  the  King  said :  "  Thy  brothers  have  been 
telling  me  of  a  beautiful  goat  with  horns  of  the  purest  gold, 
and  little  bells  fastened  to  the  horns,  which  ring  whenever  the 
animal  moves.  Now  it  is  my  will  that  thou  go  and  procure 
for  me  this  goat.  If  thou  art  successful  I  will  make  thee  lord 
over  a  third  part  of  my  kingdom."  The  youth  having  listened 
to  this  speech,  promised  to  execute  his  lord's  commission,  if 
only  fortune  would  befriend  him.  The  King  then  praised  his 
readiness,  and  the  brothers  were  glad  at  heart,  believing  that 
Pinkel  would  not  escape  this  time  so  well  as  the  first. 

Pinkel  now  made  the  necessary  preparations  and  rowed  to 
the  island  where  the  Troll-wife  dwelt.  When  he  reached  it, 
evening  was  already  advanced,  and  it  was  dark,  so  that  no 
one  could  be  aware  of  his  coming,  the  golden  lantern  being 
no  longer  there,  but  shedding  its  light  in  the  royal  palace. 
The  youth  now  deliberated  with  himself  how  to  get  the  golden 
goat ;  but  the  task  was  no  easy  one ;  for  the  animal  lay  every 
night  in  the  crone's  hut.  At  length  it  occurred  to  his  mind  that 
there  was  one  method  which  might  probably  prove  successful, 
though,  nevertheless,  sufficiently  difficult  to  carry  into  effect. 

At  night,  when  it  was  time  for  the  crone  and  her  daughter 
to  go  to  bed,  the  girl  went  as  usual  to  bolt  the  door.  But 
Pinkel  was  just  outside  on  the  watch,  and  had  placed  a  piece 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

of  wood  behind  the  door,  so  that  it  would  not  shut  close.  The 
girl  stood  for  a  long  time  trying  to  lock  it,  but  to  no  purpose. 
On  perceiving  this  the  crone  thought  there  was  something  out 
of  order,  and  called  out  that  the  door  might  very  well  remain 
unlocked  for  the  night ;  as  soon  as  it  was  daylight  they  could 
ascertain  what  was  wanting.  The  girl  then  left  the  door  ajar 
and  laid  herself  down  to  sleep.  When  the  night  was  a  little 
more  advanced,  and  the  crone  and  her  daughter  were  snug 
in  deep  repose,  the  youth  stole  softly  into  the  hut,  and  ap 
proached  the  goat  where  he  lay  stretched  out  on  the  hearth. 
Pinkel  now  stuffed  wool  into  all  the  golden  bells,  lest  their 
sound  might  betray  him ;  then  seizing  the  goat,  he  bore  it  off 
to  his  boat.  When  he  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  lake,  he 
took  the  wool  out  of  the  goat's  ears,  and  the  animal  moved  so 
that  the  bells  rang  aloud.  At  the  sound  the  crone  awoke,  ran 
down  to  the  water,  and  cried  in  an  angry  tone :  "  Is  that  thou, 
Pinkel?"  The  youth  answered:  "Yes,  dear  mother,  it  is." 
the  crone  said:  "  Hast  thou  stolen  my  golden  goat?"  The 
youth  answered :  "  Yes,  dear  mother,  I  have."  The  Troll  con 
tinued  :  "  Art  thou  not  a  big  knave  ?  "  Pinkel  returned  for 
answer :  "  Yes,  I  am  so,  dear  mother."  Now  the  beldam  began 
to  whine  and  complain,  saying :  "  Ah !  what  a  simpleton  was 
I  for  letting  thee  slip  away  from  me.  I  well  knew  thou 
wouldst  play  me  some  trick.  But  if  thou  comest  hither  ever 
again,  thou  shalt  never  go  hence." 

Pinkel  now  returned  to  the  King's  court  and  obtained  the 
government  of  a  third  part  of  the  kingdom,  as  the  King  had 
promised.  But  when  the  brothers  heard  how  the  enterprise 
had  succeeded,  and  also  saw  the  beautiful  lantern  and  the  goat 
with  golden  horns,  which  were  regarded  by  everyone  as  great 
wonders,  they  became  still  more  hostile  and  embittered  than 
ever.  They  could  think  of  nothing  but  how  they  might  accom 
plish  his  destruction. 

They  went,  therefore,  one  day  again  before  the  king,  to 
whom  they  gave  a  most  elaborate  description  of  the  Troll- 
crone's  fur  cloak  that  shone  like  the  brightest  gold  and  was 
worked  with  golden  threads  in  every  seam.  The  brothers  said 

[18]  ' 


THE    PAIRY   RING 

it  was  more  befitting  a  queen  than  a  Troll  to  possess  such  a 
treasure,  and  added  that  that  alone  was  wanting  to  the  King's 
good  fortune.  When  the  King  heard  all  this  he  became  very 
thoughtful,  and  said :  "  Where  is  this  cloak  to  be  found,  and 
who  can  procure  it  for  me  ?  "  The  brothers  answered :  "  No 
one  can  do  that  except  our  brother  Pinkel ;  for  he  knows  best 
where  the  golden  cloak  is  to  be  found."  The  King  was  there 
upon  seized  with  an  ardent  longing  to  possess  the  golden  cloak, 
and  commanded  the  youth  to  be  called  before  him.  When 
Pinkel  came,  the  King  said :  "  I  have  long  been  aware  that 
thou  hast  an  affection  for  my  young  daughter;  and  thy 
brothers  have  been  telling  me  of  a  beautiful  fur  cloak  which 
shines  with  the  reddest  gold  in  every  seam.  It  is,  therefore, 
my  will  that  thou  go  and  procure  for  me  this  cloak.  If  thou 
art  successful,  thou  shalt  be  my  son-in-law,  and  after  me  shalt 
inherit  the  kingdom."  When  the  youth  heard  this  he  was 
glad  beyond  measure,  and  promised  either  to  win  the  young 
maiden  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  The  King  thereupon  praised 
his  readiness;  but  the  brothers  were  delighted  in  their  false 
hearts,  and  trusted  that  the  enterprise  would  prove  their 
brother's  destruction. 

Pinkel  then  betook  himself  to  his  boat  and  crossed  over  to 
the  island  inhabited  by  the  Troll-crone.  On  the  way  he  anx 
iously  deliberated  with  himself  how  he  might  get  possession 
of  the  crone's  golden  cloak;  but  it  appeared  to  him  not  very 
likely  that  his  undertaking  would  prove  successful,  seeing  that 
the  Troll  always  wore  the  cloak  upon  her.  So  after  having 
concerted  divers  plans,  one  more  hazardous  than  another,  it 
occurred  to  him  that  he  would  try  one  method  which  might 
perhaps  succeed,  although  it  was  bold  and  rash. 

In  pursuance  of  his  scheme  he  bound  a  bag  under  his 
clothes,  and  walked  with  trembling  step  and  humble  demeanor 
into  the  beldam's  hut.  On  perceiving  him,  the  Troll  cast  on 
him  a  savage  glance,  and  said :  "  Pinkel,  is  that  thou  ?  "  The 
youth  answered :  "  Yes,  dear  mother,  it  is."  The  crone  was 
overjoyed,  and  said :  "  Although  thou  art  come  voluntarily 
into  my  power,  thou  canst  not  surely  hope  to  escape  again 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

from  here,  after  having  played  me  so  many  tricks."  She 
then  took  a  large  knife  and  prepared  to  make  an  end  of  poor 
Pinkel ;  but  the  youth,  seeing  her  design,  appeared  sorely  ter 
rified,  and  said :  "  If  I  must  needs  die,  I  think  I  might  be 
allowed  to  choose  the  manner  of  my  death.  I  would  rather 
eat  myself  to  death  with  milk  porridge,  than  be  killed  with 
a  knife."  The  crone  thought  to  herself  that  the  youth  had 
made  a  bad  choice,  and  therefore  promised  to  comply  with  his 
wish.  She  then  set  a  huge  pot  on  the  fire,  in  which  she  put 
a  large  quantity  of  porridge.  When  the  mess  was  ready,  she 
placed  it  before  Pinkel  that  he  might  eat,  who  for  every  spoon 
ful  of  porridge  that  he  put  into  his  mouth,  poured  two  into 
the  bag  that  was  tied  under  his  clothes.  At  length  the  crone 
began  to  wonder  how  Pinkel  could  contrive  to  swallow  such 
a  quantity ;  but  just  at  the  same  moment  the  youth,  making  a 
show  of  being  sick  to  death,  sank  down  from  his  seat  as  if  he 
were  dead,  and  unobserved  cut  a  hole  in  the  bag,  so  that  the 
porridge  ran  over  the  floor. 

The  crone,  thinking  that  Pinkel  had  burst  with  the  quantity 
of  porridge  he  had  eaten,  was  not  a  little  glad,  clapped  her 
hands  together,  and  ran  off  to  look  for  her  daughter,  who  was 
gone  to  the  well.  But  as  the  weather  was  wet  and  stormy, 
she  first  took  off  her  beautiful  fur  cloak  and  laid  it  aside  in 
the  hut.  Before  she  could  have  proceeded  far,  the  youth  came 
to  life  again,  and  springing  up  like  lightning  seized  on  the 
golden  cloak,  and  ran  off  at  the  top  of  his  speed. 

Shortly  after,  the  crone  perceived  Pinkel  as  he  was  rowing 
in  his  little  boat.  On  seeing  him  alive  again,  and  observing 
the  golden  cloak  glittering  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  she  was 
angry  beyond  all  conception,  and  ran  far  out  on  the  strand, 
crying :  "  Is  that  thou,  Pinkel  ?  "  The  youth  answered :  "  Yes, 
it  is  I,  dear  mother."  The  crone  said :  "  Hast  thou  taken  my 
beautiful  golden  cloak?"  Pinkel  responded:  "Yes,  dear 
mother,  I  have."  The  Troll  continued :  "  Art  thou  not  a  great 
knave?"  The  youth  replied:  "Yes,  I  am  so,  dear  mother." 
The  old  witch  was  now  almost  beside  herself,  and  began  to 
whine  and  lament,  and  said :  "  Ah !  how  silly  was  it  of  me  to  let 

[20] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

thee  slip  away.    I  was  well  assured  thou  wouldst  play  me  many 
wicked  tricks."     They  then  parted  from  each  other. 

The  Troll-wife  now  returned  to  her  hut,  and  Pinkel  crossed 
the  water,  and  arrived  safely  at  the  King's  palace;  there  he 
delivered  the  golden  cloak,  of  which  everyone  said  that  a  more 
sumptuous  garment  was  never  seen  nor  heard  of.  The  King 
honorably  kept  his  word  with  the  youth,  and  gave  him  his 
young  daughter  to  wife.  Pinkel  afterwards  lived  happy  and 
content  to  the  end  of  his  days ;  but  his  brothers  were  and  con 
tinued  to  be  helpers  in  the  stable  as  long  as  they  lived. 


Mother    Roundabout's    Daughter 


X^\NCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  goody  who  had  a  son,  and 
f  i  he  was  so  lazy  and  slow  he  would  never  turn  his 
^-^  hand  to  anything  that  was  useful  ;  but  singing  and 
dancing  he  was  very  fond  of;  and  so  he  danced  and  sang 
as  long  as  it  was  day,  and  sometimes  even  some  way  on  in 
the  night.  The  longer  this  lasted,  the  harder  it  was  for  the 
goody;  the  boy  grew,  and  meat  he  must  have  without  stint, 
and  more  and  more  was  spent  in  clothing  as  he  grew  bigger 
and  bigger,  and  it  was  soon  worn  out,  I  should  think;  for 
he  danced  and  sprang  about  both  in  wood  and  field. 

At  last  the  goody  thought  it  too  bad;  so  she  told  the  lad 
that  now  he  must  begin  to  turn  his  hand  to  work  and  live 
steadily,  or  else  there  was  nothing  before  both  of  them  but 
starving  to  death.  But  that  the  lad  had  no  mind  to  do.  He 
said  he  would  far  rather  woo  Mother  Roundabout's  daughter  ; 
for  if  he  could  only  get  her,  he  would  be  able  to  live  well 
and  softly  all  his  days,  and  sing  and  dance,  and  never  do  one 
stroke  of  work. 

When  his  mother  heard  this  she,  too,  thought  it  would  be 
a  very  fine  thing;  and  so  she  fitted  out  the  lad  as  well  as 
she  could,  that  he  might  look  tidy  when  he  reached  Mother 
Roundabout's  house;  and  so  he  set  off  on  his  way. 

[21] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

Now  when  he  got  out  of  doors  the  sun  shone  warm  and 
bright;  but  it  had  rained  the  night  before,  so  that  the  ways 
were  soft  and  miry  and  all  the  bog  holes  stood  full  of 
water.  The  lad  took  a  short  cut  to  Mother  Roundabout's, 
and  he  sang  and  jumped,  as  was  ever  his  wont;  but  just 
as  he  sprang  and  leaped  he  came  to  a  bog  hole,  and  over  it 
lay  a  little  bridge,  and  from  the  bridge  he  had  to  make  a 
spring  across  a  hole  on  to  a  tuft  of  grass,  .that  he  might 
not  dirty  his  shoes.  But  plump,  it  went  all  at  once,  and  just 
as  he  put  his  foot  on  the  tuft  it  gave  way  under  him,  and 
there  was  no  stopping  till  he  found  himself  in  a  nasty,  deep, 
dark  hole.  At  first  he  could  see  nothing,  but  when  he  had 
been  there  a  while  he  had  a  glimpse  of  a  rat,  that  came 
wiggle-waggle  up  to  him  with  a  bunch  of  keys  at  the  tip 
of  her  tail. 

"  What !  you  here,  my  boy  ?  "  said  the  rat.  "  Thank  you 
kindly  for  coming  to  me.  I  have  waited  long  for  you.  You 
come,  of  course,  to  woo  me,  and  you  are  eager  at  it,  I  can 
very  well  see;  but  you  must  have  patience  yet  a  while,  for  I 
shall  have  a  great  dower.  I  am  not  ready  for  my  wedding  just 
yet,  but  I'll  do  my  best  that  it  shall  be  as  soon  as  ever  I  can." 

When  she  had  said  that,  she  brought  out  ever  so  many 
eggshells,  with  all  sorts  of  bits  and  scraps,  such  as  rats  are 
wont  to  eat,  and  set  them  before  him,  and  said : 

"  Now,  you  must  sit  down  and  eat ;  I  am  sure  you  must 
be  both  tired  and  hungry." 

But  the  lad  thought  he  had  no  liking  for  such  food. 

"  If  I  were  only  well  away  from  this,  above  ground  again/' 
he  thought  to  himself,  but  he  said  nothing  out  loud. 

"  Now,  I  dare  say  you'd  be  glad  to  go  home*  again,"  said 
the  rat.  "  I  know  your  heart  is  set  on  this  wedding,  and 
I'll  make  all  the  haste  I  can;  and  you  must  take  with  you 
this  linen  thread,  and  when  you  get  up  above  you  must  not 
look  round,  but  go  straight  home,  and  on  the  way  you  must 
mind  and  say  nothing  but 

'  Short  before,  and  long  back, 
Short  before,  and  long  back  '  ;  " 

rial 


THE   PAIRT  RING 

and  as  she  said  this  she  put  the  linen  thread  into  his 
hand. 

"  Heaven  be  praised !  "  said  the  lad,  when  he  got  above 
ground.  "  Thither  I'll  never  come  again,  if  I  can  help  it." 

But  he  still  had  the  thread  in  his  hand,  and  he  sprang 
and  sang  as  he  was  wont;  but  even  though  he  thought  no 
more  of  the  rat  hole,  he  had  got  his  tongue  into  the  tune, 

and  so  he  sang, 

"  Short  before,  and  long  back, 
Short  before,  and  long  back." 

So  when  he  got  back  home  into  the  porch  he  turned  round, 
and  there  lay  many,  many  hundred  ells  of  the  whitest  linen, 
so  fine  that  the  handiest  weaving  girl  could  not  have  woven 
it  finer. 

"  Mother !  mother !  come  out,"  he  cried  and  roared. 

Out  came  the  goody  in  a  bustle,  and  asked  whatever  was 
the  matter ;  but  when  she  saw  the  linen  woof,  which  stretched 
as  far  back  as  she  could  see  and  a  bit  besides,  she  couldn't 
believe  her  eyes,  till  the  lad  told  her  how  it  had  all  hap 
pened.  And  when  she  had  heard  it,  and  tried  the  woof 
between  her  fingers,  she  grew  so  glad  that  she,  too,  began 
to  dance  and  sing. 

So  she  took  the  linen  and  cut  it  out,  and  sewed  shirts  out 
of  it  both  for  herself  and  her  son,  and  the  rest  she  took  into 
the  town  and  sold,  and  got  money  for  it.  And  now  they 
both  lived  well  and  happily  a  while;  but  when  the  money 
was  all  gone,  the  goody  had  no  more  food  in  the  house,  and 
so  she  told  her  son  he  really  must  now  begin  to  go  to  work, 
and  live  like  the  rest  of  the  world,  else  there  was  nothing 
for  it  but  starving  for  them  both. 

But  the  lad  had  more  mind  to  go  to  Mother  Roundabout 
and  woo  her  daughter.  Well,  the  goody  thought  that  a  very 
fine  thing,  for  now  he  had  good  clothes  on  his  back,  and  he 
was  not  such  a  bad-looking  fellow  either.  So  she  made  him 
smart,  and  fitted  him  out  as  well  as  she  could;  and  he  took 
out  his  new  shoes  and  brushed  them  till  they  were  as  bright 
as  glass,  and  when  he  had  done  that,  off  he  went. 

[23] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

But  all  happened  just  as  it  did  before.  When  he  got  out 
of  doors  the  sun  shone  warm  and  bright;  but  it  had  rained 
overnight,  so  that  it  was  soft  and  miry,  and  all  the  bog 
holes  were  full  of  water.  The  lad  took  the  short  cut  to 
Mother  Roundabout,  and  he  sang  and  sprang  as  he  was  ever 
wont.  Now  he  took  another  way  than  the  one  he  went  be 
fore;  but  just  as  he  leaped  and  jumped,  he  got  upon  the 
bridge  over  the  moor  again,  and  from  it  he  had  to  jump 
over  a  bog  hole  on  to  a  turf  that  he  might  not  soil  his  shoes. 
But  plump  it  went,  and  down  it  went  under  him,  and  there 
was  no  stopping  till  he  found  himself  in  a  nasty,  deep,  dark 
hole.  At  first  he  could  see  nothing;  but  when  he  had  been 
there  a  while  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  rat  with  a  bunch 
of  keys  at  the  tip  of  her  tail,  who  came  wiggle-waggle  up 
to  him. 

"What!  you  here,  my  boy?"  said  the  rat.  "That  was 
nice  of  you  to  wish  to  see  me  so  soon  again.  You  are 
very  eager,  that  I  can  see;  but  you  really  must  wait  a  while, 
for  there  is  still  something  wanting  to  my  dower,  though 
the  next  time  you  come,  it  shall  be  all  right." 

When  she  had  said  this  she  set  before  him  all  kinds  of 
scraps  and  bits  in  eggshells,  such  as  rats  eat  and  like;  but 
the  lad  thought  it  all  looked  like  meat  that  had  been  already 
eaten  once,  and  he  wasn't  hungry,  he  said;  and  all  the  time 
he  thought,  "  If  I  could  only  once  get  above  ground,  well 
out  of  this  hole/'  But  he  said  nothing  out  loud. 

So  after  a  while  the  rat  said : 

"  I  dare  say  now  you  would  be  glad  to  get  •  home  again ; 
but- I'll  hasten  on  the  wedding  as  fast  as  ever  I  can.  And 
now  you  must  take  with  you  this  thread  of  wool;  and  when 
you  come  above  ground  you  must  not  look  round,  but  go 
straight  home,  and  all  the  way  you  must  mind-  and  say 
nothing  but 

'  Short  before,  and  long  back, 
Short  before,  and  long  back 

and  as  she  said  that  she  gave  him  a  thread  of  wool  in  his 
hand. 

[24] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

"Heaven  be  praised!"  said  the  lad,  "  that  I  got  away. 
Thither  I'll  never  go  again,  if  I  can  help  it  ";  and  so  he  sang 
and  jumped  as  he  was  wont.  As  for  the  rat  hole,  he  thought 
no  more  about  it ;  but  as  he  had  got  his  tongue  into  tune  he 
sang, 

"  Short  before,  and  long  back, 
Short  before,  and  long  back  "  ; 

and  so  he  kept  on  the  whole  way  home. 

When  he  had  got  into  the  yard  at  home  again  he  turned 
and  looked  behind  him,  and  there  lay  the  finest  cloth,  more 
than  many  hundred  ells;  aye,  almost  above  half  a  mile 
long,  and  so  fine  that  no  town  dandy  could  have  had  finer 
cloth  to  his  coat. 

"  Mother !  mother !  come  out !  "  cried  the  lad. 

So  the  goody  came  out  of  doors,  and  clapped  her  hands, 
and  was  almost  ready  to  swoon  for  joy  when  she  saw  all 
that  lovely  cloth;  and  then  he  had  to  tell  her  how  he  had 
got  it,  and  how  it  had  all  happened  from  first  to  last.  Then 
they  had  a  fine  time  of  it,  you  may  fancy.  The  lad  got 
new  clothes  of  the  finest  sort,  and  the  goody  went  off  to 
the  town  and  sold  the  cloth  by  little  and  little,  and  made 
heaps  of  money.  Then  she  decked  out  her  cottage,  and 
looked  as  smart  in  her  old  days  as  though  she  had  been 
born  a  lady.  So  they  lived  well  and  happily;  but  at 
last  that  money  came  to  an  end  too,  and  so  the  day  came 
when  the  goody  had  no  more  food  in  the  house,  and 
then  she  told  her  son  he  really  must  turn  his  hand  to  work, 
and  live  like  the  rest  of  the  world,  else  there  was  nothing 
but  starvation  staring  both  of  them  in  the  face. 

But  the  lad  thought  it  far  better  to  go  to  Mother 
Roundabout  and  woo  her  daughter.  This  time  the  goody 
thought  so  too,  and  said  not  a  word  against  it;  for  now 
he  had  new  clothes  of  the  finest  kind,  and  he  looked  so 
well,  she  thought  it  quite  out  of  the  question  that  anyone 
could  say  "  No  "  to  so  smart  a  lad.  So  she  smartened  him 
up,  and  made  him  as  tidy  as  she  could;  and  he  himself 
brought  out  his  new  shoes,  and  rubbed  them  till  they  shone 

[25] 


THE  PMRT  RING 

so  he  could  see  his  face  in  them,  and  when  he  had  done  that, 
off  he  went. 

This  time  he  did  not  take  the  short  cut,  but  made  a  great 
bend,  for  down  to  the  rats  he  would  not  go  if  he  could  help 
it,  he  was  so  tired  of  all  that  wiggle-waggle  and  that  ever 
lasting  bridal  gossip.  As  for  the  weather  and  the  ways,  they 
were  just  as  they  had  been  twice  before.  The  sun  shone, 
so  that  it  was  dazzling  on  the  pools  and  bog  holes,  and  the 
lad  sang  and  sprang  as  he  was  wont;  but  just  as  he  sang 
and  jumped,  before  he  knew  where  he  was,  he  was  on  the 
very  same  bridge  across  the  bog  again.  So  he  tried  to 
jump  from  the  bridge  over  a  bog  hole  on  to  a  tuft  that 
he  might  not  dirty  his  bright  shoes.  Plump  it  went,  and 
it  gave  way  with  him,  and  there  was  no  stopping  till  he  was 
down  in  the  same  nasty,  deep,  dark  hole  again.  At  first  he 
was  glad,  for  he  could  see  nothing;  but  when  he  had  been 
there  a  while  he  had  a  glimpse  of  the  ugly  rat,  and  loath 
he  was  to  see  her  with  the  bunch  of  keys  at  the  end  of 
her  tail. 

"  Good  day,  my  boy !  "  said  the  rat ;  "  you  are  heartily 
welcome  again,  for  I  see  you  can't  bear  to  be  any  longer 
without  me.  Thank  you,  thank  you  kindly;  but  now  every 
thing  is  ready  for  the  wedding,  and  we  shall  set  off  to 
church  at  once." 

"  Something  dreadful  is  going  to  happen,"  thought  the 
lad,  but  he  said  nothing  out  loud. 

Then  the  rat  whistled,  and  there  came  swarming  out  such 
a  lot  of  small  rats  and  mice  of  all  the  holes  and  crannies, 
and  six  big  rats  came  harnessed  to  a  frying  pan;  two  mice 
got  up  behind  as  footmen,  and  two  got  up  before  and  drove ; 
some,  too,  got  into  the  pan,  and  the  rat  with  the  bunch  of 
keys  at  her  tail  took  her  seat  among  them.  Then  she  said 
to  the  lad : 

"  The  road  is  a  little  narrow  here,  so  you  must  be  good 
enough  to  walk  by  the  side  of  the  carriage,  my  darling 
boy,  till  it  gets  broader,  and  then  you  shall  have  leave  to 
sit  up  in  the  carriage  alongside  of  me." 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

"  Very  fine  that  will  be,  I  dare  say,"  thought  the  lad. 
•'  If  I  were  only  well  above  ground,  I'd  run  away  from  the 
whole  pack  of  you."  That  was  what  he  thought,  but  he 
said  nothing  out  loud. 

So  he  followed  them  as  well  as  he  could ;  sometimes  he 
had  to  creep  on  all  fours,  and  sometimes  he  had  to  stoop 
and  bend  his  back  as  well,  for  the  road  was  low  and  nar 
row  in  places;  but  when  it  got  broader  he  went  on  in  front, 
and  looked  about  him  how  he  might  best  give  them  the 
slip  and  run  away.  But  as  he  went  forward  he  heard  a 
clear,  sweet  voice  behind  him,  which  said : 

"  Now  the  road  is  good.  Come,  my  dear,  and  get  up 
into  the  carriage." 

The  lad  turned  round  in  a  trice,  and  had  near  lost  both 
nose  and  ears.  There  stood  the  grandest  carriage,  with  six 
white  horses  to  it,  and  in  the  carriage  sat  a  maiden  as 
bright  and  lovely  as  the  sun,  and  round  her  sat  others  who 
were  as  pretty  and  soft  as  stars.  They  were  a  princess  and 
her  playfellows,  who  had  been  bewitched  all  together.  But 
now  they  were  free  because  he  had  come  down  to  them,  and 
never  said  a  word  against  them. 

"  Come  now,"  said  the  princess.  So  the  lad  stepped  up 
into  the  carriage,  and  they  drove  to  church ;  and  when  they 
drove  from  church  again  the  princess  said :  "  Now  we  will 
drive  first  to  my  house,  and  then  we'll  send  to  fetch  your 
mother." 

"  That  is  all  very  well,"  thought  the  lad,  for  he  still  said 
nothing,  even  now ;  but,  for  all  that,  he  thought  it  would 
be  better  to  go  home  to  his  mother  than  down  into  that 
nasty  rat  hole.  But  just  as  he  thought  that,  they  came  to 
a  grand  castle ;  into  it  they  turned,  and  there  they  were  to 
dwell.  And  so  a  grand  carriage  with  six  horses  was  sent 
to  fetch  the  goody,  and  when  it  came  back  they  set  to 
work  at  the  wedding  feast.  It  lasted  fourteen  days,  and 
maybe  they  are  still  at  it.  So  let  us  all  make  haste;  per 
haps  we,  too,  may  come  in  time  to  drink  the  bridegroom's 
health  and  dance  with  the  bride. 

[27] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 
The    Bear    and    Skrattel 

NE  Christmas  Day,  the  King  of  Norway  sat  in  the  great 
hall  of  his  palace,  holding  a  feast.  "  Here's  a  health," 
said  he,  "  to  our  brother  the  King  of  Denmark !  What 
present  shall  we  send  our  royal  brother  as  a  pledge  of  our 
good  will,  this  Christmas-time  ?  "  "  Send  him,  please  your 
majesty,"  said  the  Norseman  Gunter,  who  was  the  King's  chief 
huntsman,  "  one  of  our  fine  white  bears,  that  his  liegemen 
may  show  their  little  ones  what  sort  of  kittens  we  play  with." 
"  Well  said,  Gunter!  "  cried  the  King;  "but  how  shall  we  find 
a  bear  that  will  travel  so  long  a  journey  willingly,  and  will 
know  how  to  behave  himself  to  our  worthy  brother  when  he 
reaches  him?  "  "  Please  your  majesty,"  said  Gunter,  "  I  have 
a  glorious  fellow,  as  white  as  snow,  that  I  caught  when  he 
was  a  cub;  he  will  follow  me  wherever  I  go,  play  with  my 
children,  stand  on  his  hind  legs,  and  behave  himself  as  well 
as  any  gentleman  ought  to  do.  He  is  at  your  service,  and  I 
will  myself  take  him  wherever  you  choose." 

So  the  King  was  well  pleased,  and  ordered  Gunter  to  set 
off  at  once  with  master  Bruin :  "  Start  with  the  morning's 
dawn,"  said  he,  "  and  make  the  best  of  your  way." 

The  Norseman  went  home  to  his  house  in  the  forest ;  and 
early  next  morning  he  waked  master  Bruin,  put  the  King's 
collar  round  his  neck,  and  away  they  went  over  rocks  and  val 
leys,  lakes  and  seas,  the  nearest  road  to  the  court  of  the  King  of 
Denmark.  When  they  arrived  there,  the  King  was  away  on 
a  journey,  and  Gunter  and  his  fellow-traveler  set  out  to  follow. 
It  was  bright  weather,  the  sun  shone,  and  the  birds  sang,  as 
they  journeyed  merrily  on,  day  after  day,  over  hill  and  over 
dale,  till  they  came  within  a  day's  journey  of  where  the  King 
was. 

All  that  afternoon  they  traveled  through  a  gloomy,  dark 
forest ;  but  toward  evening  the  wind  began  to  whistle  through 
the  trees,  and  the  clouds  began  to  gather  and  threaten  a 
stormy  night.  The  road,  too,  was  very  rough,  and  it  was  not 

[28] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

easy  to  tell  which  was  more  tired.  Bruin  or  his  master.  What 
made  the  matter  worse  was  that  they  had  found  no  inn  that 
day  by  the  roadside,  and  their  provisions  had  fallen  short,  so 
that  they  had  no  very  pleasant  prospect  before  them  for  the 
night.  "  A  pretty  affair  this !  "  said  Gunter.  "  I  am  likely 
to  be  charmingly  off  here  in  the  woods,  with  an  empty  stom 
ach,  a  damp  bed,  and  a  bear  for  my  bedfellow." 

While  the  Norseman  was  turning  this  over  in  his  mind,  the 
wind  blew  harder  and  harder,  and  the  clouds  grew  darker  and 
darker :  the  bear  shook  his  ears,  and  his  master  looked  at  his 
wits'  end,  when  to  his  great  joy  a  woodman  came  whistling 
along  out  of  the  woods,  by  the  side  of  his  horse  dragging  a 
load  of  fagots.  As  soon  as  he  came  up  Gunter  stopped  him, 
and  begged  hard  for  a  night's  lodging  for  himself  and  his 
countryman. 

The  woodman  seemed  hearty  and  good-natured  enough,  and 
was  quite  ready  to  find  shelter  for  the  huntsman ;  but  as  to 
the  bear,  he  had  never  seen  such  a  beast  before  in  his  life,  and 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  him  on  any  terms.  The  hunts 
man  begged  hard  for  his  friend,  and  told  how  he  was  bring 
ing  him  as  a  present  to  the  King  of  Denmark;  and  how  he 
was  the  most  good-natured,  best-behaved  animal  in  the  world, 
though  he  must  allow  that  he  was  by  no  means  one  of  the 
handsomest. 

The  woodman,  however,  was  not  to  be  moved.  His  wife, 
he  was  sure,  would  not  like  such  a  guest,  and  who  could  say 
what  he  might  take  it  into  his  head  to  do  ?  Besides,  he  should 
lose  his  dog  and  his  cat,  his  ducks  and  his  geese;  for  they 
would  all  run  away  for  fright,  whether  the  bear  was  disposed 
to  be  friends  with  them  or  not. 

"  Good  night,  master  huntsman !  "  said  he ;  "  if  you  and  old 
shaggy-back  there  cannot  part,  I  am  afraid  you  must  e'en 
stay  where  you  are,  though  you  will  have  a  sad  night  of  it, 
no  doubt."  Then  he  cracked  his  whip,  whistled  up  his  horse, 
and  set  off  once  more  on  his  way  homeward. 

The  huntsman  grumbled,  and  Bruin  grunted,  as  they  fol 
lowed  slowly  after ;  when  to  their  great  joy  they  saw  the  wood- 

[29] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

man,  before  he  had  gone  many  yards,  pull  up  his  horse  once 
more  and  turn  round.  "  Stay,  stay !  "  said  he ;  "  I  think  I  can 
tell  you  of  a  better  plan  than  sleeping  in  a  ditch.  I  know 
where  you  may  find  shelter,  if  you  will  run  the  risk  of  a  little 
trouble  from  an  unlucky  imp  that  has  taken  up  its  abode  in 
my  old  house  down  the  hill  yonder.  You  must  know,  friend, 
that  till  last  winter  I  lived  in  yon  snug  little  house  that  you 
will  see  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  if  you  come  this  way.  Every 
thing  went  smoothly  on  with  us  till  one  unlucky  night,  when 
the  storm  blew  as  it  seems  likely  to  do  to-night,  some  spiteful 
guest  took  it  into  his  head  to  pay  us  a  visit;  and  there  have 
ever  since  been  such  noises,  clattering,  and  scampering  up 
stairs  and  down,  from  midnight  till  the  cock  crows  in  the 
morning,  that  at  last  we  were  fairly  driven  out  of  house  and 
home.  What  he  is  like  no  one  knows ;  for  we  never  saw  him 
or  anything  belonging  to  him,  except  a  little  crooked  high- 
heeled  shoe,  that  he  left  one  night  in  the  pantry.  But  though 
we  have  not  seen  him,  we  know  he  has  a  hand  or  a  paw  as 
heavy  as  lead ;  for  when  it  pleases  him  to  lay  it  upon  anyone, 
down  he  goes  as  if  the  blacksmith's  hammer  had  hit  him. 
There  is  no  end  of  his  monkey  tricks.  If  the  linen  is  hung 
out  to  dry,  he  cuts  the  line.  If  he  wants  a  cup, of  ale,  he  leaves 
the  tap  running.  If  the  fowls  are  shut  up,  he  lets  them  loose. 
He  puts  the  pig  into  the  garden,  rides  upon  the  cows,  and 
turns  the  horses  into  the  hay  yard ;  and  several  times  he  nearly 
burned  the  house  down,  by  leaving  a  candle  alight  among  the 
fagots.  And  then  he  is  sometimes  so  nimble  and  active  that 
when  he  is  once  in  motion,  nothing  stands  still  around  him. 
Dishes  and  plates — pots  and  pans — dance  about,  clattering, 
making  the  most  horrible  music,  and  breaking  each  other  to 
pieces ;  and  sometimes,  when  the  whim  takes  him,  the  chairs 
and  tables  seem  as  if  they  were  alive,  and  dancing  a  hornpipe, 
or  playing  battledore  and  shuttlecock  together.  Even  the 
stones  and  beams  of  the  house  seem  rattling  against  one  an 
other  ;  and  it  is  of  no  use  putting  things  in  order,  for  the  first 
freak  the  imp  took  would  turn  everything  upside  down  again. 
"  My  wife  and  I  bore  such  a  lodger  as  long  as  we  could, 

[30] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

but  at  length  we  were  fairly  beaten ;  and  as  he  seemed  to  have 
taken  up  his  abode  in  the  house,  we  thought  it  best  to  give 
up  to  him  what  he  wanted ;  and  the  little  rascal  knew  what  we 
were  about  when  we  were  moving,  and  seemed  afraid  we 
should  not  go  soon  enough.  So  he  helped  us  off ;  for  on  the 
morning  we  were  to  start,  as  we  were  going  to  put  our  goods 
upon  the  wagon,  there  it  stood  before  the  door  ready  loaded ; 
and  when  we  started  we  heard  a  loud  laugh,  and  a  little  sharp 
voice  cried  out  of  the  window,  '  Good-by,  neighbors ! '  So 
now  he  has  our  old  house  all  to  himself  to  play  his  gambols 
in,  whenever  he  likes  to  sleep  within  doors ;  and  we  have 
built  ourselves  a  snug  cottage  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill, 
where  we  live  as  well  as  we  can,  though  we  have  no  great 
room  to  make  merry  in.  Now  if  you,  and  your  ugly  friend 
there,  like  to  run  the  hazard  of  taking  up  your  quarters  in  the 
elf's  house,  pray  do!  Yonder  is  the  road.  He  may  not  be 
at  home  to-night." 

"  We  will  try  our  luck,"  said  Gunter.  "  Anything  is  better 
to  my  mind  than  sleeping  out  of  doors  such  a  night  as  this. 
Your  troublesome  neighbor  will  perhaps  think  so,  too,  and 
we  may  have  to  fight  for  our  lodging ;  but  never  mind,  Bruin 
is  rather  an  awkward  hand  to  quarrel  with,  and  the  goblin 
may  perhaps  find  a  worse  welcome  from  him  than  your  house 
dog  could  give  him.  He  will  at  any  rate  let  him  know  what 
a  bear's  hug  is  ;  for  I  dare  say  he  has  not  been  far  enough  north 
to  know  much  about  it  yet." 

Then  the  woodman  gave  Gunter  a  fagot  to  make  his  fire 
with,  and  wished  him  a  good  night.  He  and  the  bear  soon 
found  their  way  to  the  deserted  house,  and  no  one  being  at 
home  they  walked  into  the  kitchen  and  made  a  capital  fire. 

"  Lack-a-day !  "  said  the  Norseman ;  "  I  forgot  one  thing 
—I  ought  to  have  asked  that  good  man  for  some  supper;  I 
have  nothing  left  but  some  dry  bread.  However,  this  is  better 
than  sleeping  in  the  woods.  We  must  make  the  most  of  what 
we  have,  keep  ourselves  warm,  and  get  to  bed  as  soon  as  we 
can."  So  after  eating  up  all  their  crusts,  and  drinking  some 
water  from  the  well  close  by,  the  huntsman  wrapped  himself 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

up  close  in  his  cloak,  and  lay  down  in  the  snuggest  corner  he 
could  find.  Bruin  rolled  himself  up  in  the  corner  of  the  wide 
fireplace,  and  both  were  fast  asleep,  the  fire  out,  and  everything 
quiet  within  doors  long  before  midnight. 

Just  as  the  clock  struck  twelve  the  storm  began  to  get 
louder — the  wind  blew — a  slight  noise  within  the  room  wak 
ened  the  huntsman,  and  all  on  a  sudden  in  popped  a  little 
ugly  skrattel,  scarce  three  spans  high,  with  a  hump  on  his 
back,  a  face  like  a  dried  pippin,  a  nose  like  a  ripe  mulberry, 
and  an  eye  that  had  lost  its  neighbor.  He  had  high-heeled 
shoes  and  a  pointed  red  cap;  and  came  dragging  after  him 
a  nice  fat  kid,  ready  skinned  and  fit  for  roasting.  "  A  rough 
night  this,"  grumbled  the  goblin  to  himself ;  "  but,  thanks  to 
that  booby  woodman,  I've  a  house  to  myself.  And  now  for  a 
hot  supper  and  a  glass  of  good  ale  till  the  cock  crows.'5 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  The  skrattel  busied  himself 
about,  here  and  there;  presently  the  fire  blazed  up,  the  kid 
was  put  on  the  spit  and  turned  merrily  round.  A  keg  of  ale 
made  its  appearance  from  a  closet,  the  cloth  was  laid,  and  the 
kid  was  soon  dished  up  for  eating.  Then  the  little  imp,  in  the 
joy  of  his  heart,  rubbed  his  hands,  tossed* up  his  red  cap, 
danced  before  the  hearth,  and  sang  his  song : 

"  Oh!  'tis  weary  enough  abroad  to  bide, 

In  the  shivery  midnight  blast; 
And  'tis  dreary  enough  alone  to  ride, 
Hungry  and  cold, 
On  the  wintry  wold, 
Where  the  drifting  snow  falls  fast. 

"But  'tis  cheery  enough  to  revel  by  night, 

In  the  crackling  fagot's  light; 
"Pis  merry  enough  to  have  and  to  hold 
The  savory  roast, 
And  the  nut-brown  toast, 
With  jolly  good  ale  and  old." 

The  huntsman  lay  snug  all  this  time,  sometimes  quaking, 
in  dread  of  getting  into  trouble,  and  sometimes  licking  his  lips 

[32] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

at  the  savory  supper  before  him,  and  half  in  the  mind  to  fight 
for  it  with  the  imp.  However,  he  kept  himself  quiet  in  his 
corner ;  till  all  of  a  sudden  the  little  man's  eye  wandered  from 
his  cheering  ale  cup  to  Bruin's  carcass,  as  he  lay  rolled  up  like 
a  ball  fast  asleep  in  the  chimney  corner. 

The  imp  turned  round  sharp  in  an  instant,  and  crept  softly 
nearer  and  nearer  to  where  Bruin  lay,  looking  at  him  very 
closely,  and  not  able  to  make  out  what  in  the  world  he  was. 
"  One  of  the  family,  I  suppose !  "  said  he  to  himself.  But 
just  then  Bruin  gave  his  ears  a  shake,  and  showed  a  little  of 
his  shaggy  muzzle.  "  Oh,  ho !  "  said  the  imp,  "  that's  all,  is 
it  ?  But  what  a  large  one !  Where  could  he  come  from,  and 
how  came  he  here?  What  shall  I  do?  Shall  I  let  him  alone 
or  drive  him  out?  Perhaps  he  may  do  me  some  mischief,  and 
I  am  not  afraid  of  mice  or  rats.  So  here  goes !  I  have  driven 
all  the  rest  of  the  live  stock  out  of  the  house,  and  why  should 
I  be  afraid  of  sending  this  brute  after  them  ?  " 

With  that  the  elf  walked  softly  to  the  corner  of  the  room, 
and  taking  up  the  spit,  stole  back  on  tiptoe  till  he  got  quite 
close  to  the  bear ;  then  raising  up  his  weapon,  down  came  a 
rattling  thump  across  Bruin's  mazard,  that  sounded  as  hollow 
as  a  drum.  The  bear  raised  himself  slowly  up,  snorted,  shook 
his  head,  then  scratched  it,  opened  first  one  eye,  then  the  other, 
took  a  turn  across  the  room,  and  grinned  at  his  enemy ;  who, 
somewhat  alarmed,  ran  back  a  few  paces  and  stood  with  the 
spit  in  his  hand,  foreseeing  a  rough  attack.  And  it  soon  came, 
for  the  bear,  rearing  himself  up,  walked  leisurely  forward,  and 
putting  out  one  of  his  paws  caught  hold  of  the  spit,  jerked 
it  out  of  the  goblin's  hand,  and  sent  it  spinning  to  the  other 
end  of  the  kitchen. 

And  now  began  a  fierce  battle.  This  way  and  that  way 
flew  tables  and  chairs,  pots  and  pans.  The  elf  was  one  mo 
ment  on  the  bear's  back,  lugging  his  ears  and  pommeling  him 
with  blows  that  might  have  felled  an  ox.  In  the  next,  the 
bear  would  throw  him  up  in  the  air,  and  treat  him  as  he  came 
down  with  a  hug  that  would  make  the  little  imp  squall.  Then 
up  he  would  jump  upon  one  of  the  beams  out  of  Bruin's  reach, 

[33] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

and  soon,  watching  his  chance,  would  be  down  astride  upon 
his  back. 

Meantime  Gunter  had  become  sadly  frightened,  and  seeing 
the  oven  door  open,  crept  in  for  shelter  from  the  fray,  and 
lay  there  quaking  for  fear.  The  struggle  went  on  thus  a 
long  time,  without  its  seeming  at  all  clear  who  would  get 
the  better — biting,  scratching,  hugging,  clawing,  roaring,  and 
growling,  till  the  whole  house  rang.  The  elf,  however,  seemed 
to  grow  weaker  and  weaker.  The  rivals  stood  for  a  moment 
as  if  to  get  breath,  and  the  bear  was  getting  ready  for  a  fierce 
attack  when,  all  in  a  moment,  the  skrattel  dashed  his  red  cap 
right  in  his  eye,  and  while  Bruin  was  smarting  with  the  blow 
and  trying  to  recover  his  sight,  darted  to  the  door,  and  was  out 
of  sight  in  a  moment,  though  the  wind  blew,  the  rain  pattered, 
and  the  storm  raged  in  a  merciless  manner. 

"  Well  done !  Bravo,  Bruin !  "  cried  the  huntsman,  as  he 
crawled  out  of  the  oven  and  ran  and  bolted  the  door.  "  Thou 
hast  combed  his  locks  rarely ;  and  as  for  thine  own  ears,  they 
are  rather  the  worse  for  pulling.  But  come,  let  us  make  the 
best  of  the  good  cheer  our  friend  has  left  us !  "  So  saying, 
they  fell  to  and  ate  a  hearty  supper.  The  huntsman,  wishing 
the  skrattel  a  good  night  and  pleasant  dreams  in  a  cup  of  his 
sparkling  ale,  laid  himself  down  and  slept  till  morning;  and 
Bruin  tried  to  do  the  same,  as  well  as  his  aching  bones  would 
let  him. 

In  the  morning  the  huntsman  made  ready  to  set  out  on  his 
way,  and  had  not  got  far  from  the  door  before  he  met  the 
woodman,  who  was  eager  to  hear  how  he  had  passed  the 
night.  Then  Gunter  told  him  how  he  had  been  awakened, 
what  sort  of  creature  the  elf  was,  and  how  he  and  Bruin  had 
fought  it  out.  "  Let  us  hope,"  said  he,  "  you  will  now  be  well 
rid  of  the  gentleman.  I  suspect  he  will  not  come  where  he  is 
likely  to  get  any  more  of  Bruin's  hugs ;  and  thus  you  will  be 
well  paid  for  your  entertainment  of  us,  which,  to  tell  the  truth, 
was  none  of  the  best,  for  if  your  ugly  little  tenant  had  not 
brought  his  supper  with  him,  we  should  have  had  but  empty 
stomachs  this  morning." 

[34] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

The  huntsman  and  his  fellow-traveler  journeyed  on,  and 
let  us  hope  they  reached  the  King  of  Denmark  safe  and  sound ; 
but,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  know  nothing  more  of  that  part  of  the 
story. 

The  woodman,  meantime,  went  to  his  work,  and  did  not  fail 
to  watch  at  night  to  see  whether  the  skrattel  came,  or  whether 
he  was  thoroughly  frightened  out  of  his  old  haunt  by  the  bear, 
or  whatever  he  might  take  the  beast  to  be  that  had  handled 
him  as  he  never  was  handled  before.  But  three  nights  passed 
over,  and  no  traces  being  seen  or  heard  of  him,  the  woodman 
began  to  think  of  moving  back  to  his  old  house. 

On  the  fourth  day  he  was  out  at  his  work  in  the  forest,  and 
as  he  was  taking  shelter  under  a  tree  from  a  cold  storm  of  sleet 
and  rain  that  passed  over,  he  heard  a  little  cracked  voice  sing 
ing,  or  rather  croaking  in  a  mournful  tone.  So  he  crept  along 
quietly,  and  peeped  over  some  bushes,  and  there  sat  the  very 
same  figure  that  the  huntsman  had  described  to  him.  The 
goblin  was  sitting  without  any  hat  or  cap  on  his  head,  with 
a  woe-begone  face,  and  with  his  jacket  torn  into  shreds,  and 
his  leg  scratched  and  smeared  with  blood,  as  if  he  had  been 
creeping  through  a  bramble  bush.  The  woodman  listened 
quietly  to  his  song,  and  it  ran  as  before : 

"  Oh!  'tis  weary  enough  abroad  to  bide, 

In  the  shivery  midnight  blast; 
And  'tis  dreary  enough  alone  to  ride, 
Hungry  and  cold, 
On  the  wintry  wold, 
Where  the  drifting  snow  falls  fast." 

''Sing  us  the  other  verse,  man!"  cried  the  woodman,  for 
he  could  not  help  cracking  a  joke  on  his  old  enemy,  who  he 
saw  was  sadly  in  the  dumps  at  the  loss  of  his  good  cheer  and 
the  shelter  against  the  bad  weather.  But  the  instant  his  voice 
was  heard  the  little  imp  jumped  up,  stamped  with  rage,  and 
was  out  of  sight  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

The  woodman  finished  his  work  and  was  going  home  in  the 
evening,  whistling  by  his  horse's  side,  when  all  of  a  sudden 
he  saw,  standing  on  a  high  bank  by  the  wayside  the  very 

[  35  1 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

same  little  imp,  looking  as  grim  and  sulky  as  before.  u  Hark 
ye,  bumpkin  ?  "  cried  the  skrattel ;  "  canst  thou  hear,  fellow  ? 
Is  thy  great  cat  alive,  and  at  home  still?  "  "  My  cat?  "  said 
the  woodman.  "  Thy  great  white  cat,  man ! "  thundered  out 
the  little  imp.  "  Oh,  my  cat !  "  said  the  woodman,  at  last  recol 
lecting  himself.  "  Oh,  yes,  to  be  sure !  alive  and  well,  I  thank 
you;  very  happy,  I'm  sure,  to  see  you  and  all  friends  when 
ever  you  will  do  us  the  favor  to  call.  And  hark  ye,  friend !  as 
you  seem  to  be  so  fond  of  my  great  cat,  you  may  like  to  know 
that  she  had  five  kittens  last  night."  "  Five  kittens  ?  "  mut 
tered  the  elf.  "  Yes,"  replied  the  woodman,  "  five  of  the  most 
beautiful  white  kits  you  ever  saw — so  like  the  old  cat,  it  would 
do  your  heart  good  to  see  the  whole  family — such  soft,  gentle 
paws — such  delicate  whiskers — such  pretty  little  mouths !  " 
"  Five  kittens  ?  "  muttered,  or  rather  shrieked  out,  the  imp 
again.  "  Yes,  to  be  sure !  "  said  the  woodman ;  "  five  kittens ! 
Do  look  in  to-night,  about  twelve  o'clock — the  time,  you  know, 
that  you  used  to  come  and  see  us.  The  old  cat  will  be  so  glad 
to  show  them  to  you,  and  we  shall  be.  so  happy  to  see  you  once 
more.  But  where  can  you  have  been  all  this  time  ?  " 

"  I  come?  Not  I,  indeed!  "  shrieked  the  skrattel.  "  What 
do  I  want  with  the  little  wretches?  Did  not  I  see  the  mother 
once?  Keep  your  kittens  to  yourself.  I  must  be  off — this  is 
no  place  for  me.  Five  kittens !  So  there  are  six  of  them  now ! 
Good-by  to  you,  you'll  see  me  no  more;  so  bad  luck  to  your 
ugly  cat  and  your  beggarly  house !  "  "  And  bad  luck  to  you, 
Mr.  Crookback !  "  cried  the  woodman,  as  he  threw  him  the  red 
cap  he  had  left  behind  in  his  battle  with  Bruin.  "  Keep  clear 
of  my  cat,  and  let  us  hear  no  more  of  your  pranks,  and  be 
hanged  to  you !  " 

So  now  that  he  knew  his  troublesome  guest  had  taken  his 
leave,  the  woodman  soon  moved  back  all  his  goods,  and  his 
wife  and  children  into  their  snug  old  house.  And  there  they 
lived  happily,  for  the  elf  never  came  to  see  them  any  more; 
and  the  woodman  every  day  after  dinner  drank,  "  Long  life  to 
the  King  of  Norway,"  for  sending  the  cat  that  cleared  his 
house  of  vermin. 

[36] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 
T/ie    Golden    Bird 

rHERE   was   once   upon   a   time  a   king   who   had   a 
garden ;  in  that  garden  there  was  an  apple  tree,  and 
on  that  apple  tree  there  grew  a  golden  apple  every 
year;   but   when  the   time   came  to   pluck  the   apple   it   was 
gone,  and  no  one  knew  who  took  it  or  what  became  of  it; 
but  gone  it  was. 

The  King  had  three  sons,  and  one  day  he  told  them  that 
he  who  could  bring  him  the  apple  or  get  hold  of  the  thief, 
should  have  the  kingdom  after  him,  no  matter  whether  he 
was  the  eldest,  the  second,  or  the  youngest  son. 

The  eldest  set  out  first  and  sat  down  under  the  tree  to 
keep  watch  for  the  thief.  Soon  after  dark  a  golden  bird 
came  flying,  and  the  light  from  it  was  so  strong  and 
dazzling  that  it  could  be  seen  a  long  way  off.  When  the 
Prince  saw  the  bird  and  the  dazzling  light  he  became  so 
frightened  that  he  dared  not  stay  any  longer,  but  rushed 
indoors  as  fast  as  he  could. 

Next  morning  the  apple  was  gone;  the  Prince  had  then, 
however,  recovered  his  courage  and  began  to  get  ready  for 
his  journey  and  wanted  to  set  off  to  find  the  bird.  The  King 
fitted  him  out  in  grand  style  and  spared  neither  money  nor 
fine  raiment.  When  the  Prince  had  gone  a  bit  on  the  way 
he  became  hungry,  opened  his  scrip  and  sat  down  to  his 
breakfast  by  the  roadside.  A  fox  then  came  out  of  the 
wood  and  sat  down  and  looked  at  him. 

"  Do  give  me  a  little  to  eat,"  said  the  fox. 

"I'll  give  you  some  powder  and  shot,"  said  the  Prince; 
"  my  food  I  shall  want  myself ;  nobody  can  tell  how  far  and 
how  long  I  may  have  to  travel,"  said  he. 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  fox,  and  so  he  went  back  into  the 
wood  again. 

When  the  Prince  had  finished  his  meal  and  rested  awhile 
he  set  out  on  his  way  again.  After  a  long  time  he  came  to 
a  big  city,  and  in  that  city  there  was  an  inn,  where  there 

[37] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

was  always  joy  and  never  any  sorrow ;  he  thought  that 
would  be  a  nice  place  to  stop  at,  and  so  he  remained.  And 
there  was  such  dancing  and  drinking  and  joy  and  merry 
making  that  he  forgot  the  bird  and  his  father  and  his  jour 
ney  and  the  whole  kingdom. 

Away  he  was  and  away  he  stopped. 

The  next  year  the  second  prince  was  to  watch  for  the 
thief  in  the  garden;  he  also  sat  down  under  the  tree  when 
the  apple  began  to  ripen.  But  one  night,  all  of  a  sudden, 
the  golden  bird  came  flying,  shining  like  the  sun,  and  the  Prince 
became  so  afraid  that  he  took  to  his  heels  and  ran  indoors 
as  fast  as  he  could. 

In  the  morning  the  apple  was  gone,  but  the  Prince  had 
then  recovered  his  courage  and  wanted  to  set  out  and  find 
the  bird.  He  began  to  get  ready  and  the  King  fitted  him 
out  in  grand  style  and  spared  neither  money  nor  fine 
raiment.  But  the  same  thing  happened  to  him  as  to  his 
brother;  when  he  had  got  a  bjt  on  the  way  he  became 
hungry,  opened  his  scrip  and  sat  down  to  his  breakfast  by 
the  roadside.  A  fox  then  came  out  from  the  pine  wood  and 
sat  down  and  looked  at  him. 

"  Do  give  me  a  little  to  eat,"  said  the  fox. 

"  I'll  give  you  some  powder  and  shot,"  said  the  Prince ; 
"  my  food  I  shall  want  myself ;  nobody  can  tell  how  far 
and  how  long  I  may  have  to  travel,"  said  he. 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  fox,  and  so  he  went  back  into  the 
wood  again. 

When  the  Prince  had  finished  his  meal  and  rested  awhile, 
he  set  out  on  his  way  again.  After  a  long  time  he  came 
to  the  same  city  and  the  same  inn,  where  there  was  always 
joy  and  never  any  sorrow;  and  there  he  also  thought  it 
would  be  nice  to  stop,  and  the  first  he  met  was  his  brother, 
and  so  he  remained.  The  brother  had  been  leading  a  gay 
and  reckless  life  and  had  scarcely  any  clothes  left  on  his 
back ;  but  now  he  began  afresh,  and  there  was  such  danc 
ing  and  drinking  and  joy  and  merriment  that  the  second 
prince  also  forgot  the  bird  and  his  father  and  his  journey 

[381 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

and  the  whole  kingdom.  Away  he  was  and  away  he 
stopped. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  apple  to  ripen  again  the 
youngest  prince  was  to  go  into  the  garden  and  watch  for 
the  thief.  He  took  a  companion  with  him  who  was  to 
help  him  up  into  the  tree,  and  to  pass  away  the  time  so 
that  he  should  not  fall  asleep.  All  of  a  sudden  they  saw 
a  bright  light,  as  if  from  the  sun;  every  feather  of  the 
bird  could  be  seen  long  before  it  came  to  the  tree.  The 
Prince  climbed  up  into  the  tree  and  at  the  same  time  the 
golden  bird  swooped  down  and  took  the  apple;  the  Prince 
tried  to  seize  the  bird,  but  he  only  caught  a  feather  out  of 
its  tail. 

So  he  went  to  the  King's  bedroom,  and  as  he  came  in 
with  the  feather,  it  became  as  light  as  day. 

He  also  wanted  to  try  if  he  could  find  his  brothers  and 
catch  the  bird,  for  he  had  been  so  near  to  it  that  he  had 
got  a  feather  from  its  tail  and  would  know  it  again  any 
where,  he  said. 

Well,  the  King  went  and  pondered  long  whether  he 
should  let  him  go,  for  he  thought  the  youngest  would  not 
fare  any  better  than  the  two  eldest,  who  ought  to  have 
more  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  he  was  afraid  he  should 
lose  him  also.  But  the  Prince  begged  so  earnestly  that  at 
last  he  got  permission  to  go. 

He  then  began  to  get  ready  and  the  King  fitted  him  out 
in  grand  style,  both  with  clothes  and  money,  and  so  he 
set  off. 

When  he  had  traveled  for  some  time  he  became  hungry 
and  took  his  scrip  and  sat  down  to  have  his  breakfast, 
but  just  as  he  was  in  the  midst  of  it  a  fox  came  out  of 
the  wood  and  sat  down  close  by  his  side  and  looked  at 
him. 

"  Do  give  me  a  little  to  eat,"  said  the  fox. 

"  I  shall  want  the  food  myself,"  said  the  Prince,  "  for  I 
cannot  tell  how  far  I  shall  have  to  travel,  but  I  have 
enough  to  give  you  a  little." 

[39] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

When  the  fox  had  got  the  piece  of  meat  he  asked  the 
Prince  where  he  was  going. 

Yes,  that  he  would  tell  him. 

"If  you  will  listen  to  me,  I  will  help  you,  and  you  will 
have  good  luck,"  said  the  fox. 

The  Prince  promised  he  would,  and  so  they  set  off  to 
gether.  They  traveled  a  while  till  they  came  to  the  same 
city  and  the  same  inn,  where  there  was  always  joy,  but  no 
sorrow. 

"  I  must  keep  outside  here ;  the  dogs  are  rather  a 
nuisance,"  said  the  fox,  and  so  he  told  the  Prince  where 
his  brothers  were  to  be  found  and  what  they  were  doing; 
"and  if  you  go  in  there  you  will  not  get  any  further  either," 
said  he. 

The  Prince  promised  he  would  not  go  in  there,  and  gave 
him  his  hand  on  it,  and  so  each  went  his  way.  But  when 
the  Prince  came  to  the  inn  and  heard  the  noise  and  mer 
riment  going  on  he  felt  he  must  go  in;  there  was  no  help 
for  it,  and  when  he  met  his  brothers  there  was  such  re 
joicing  that  he  forgot  both  the  fox  and  the  journey  and  the 
bird  and  his  father.  But  when  he  had  been  there  awhile 
the  fox  came — he  had  ventured  into  the  city  after  all — and 
opened  the  door  a  little  and  made  a  sign  to  the  Prince,  saying 
that  now  they  must  be  off.  So  the  Prince  bethought  himself, 
and  they  went  their  way. 

When  they  had  traveled  awhile  they  saw  a  big  mountain 
far  away.  The  fox  said: 

'  Three  hundred  miles  at  the  back  of  that  mountain  there 
is  a  gilded  linden  tree  with  golden  leaves,  and  in  that  tree 
sits  the  golden  bird  from  which  you  took  the  feather." 

Thither  they  traveled  together.  When  the  Prince  was 
going  to  catch  the  bird  the  fox  gave  him  some  bright 
feathers  which  he  was  to  wave  in  his  hands,  and  so  at 
tract  the  bird,  which  would  then  fly  down  and  sit  on  his 
hand. 

But  the  fox  said  he  must  not  touch  the  linden  tree,  for 
inside  it  was  a  big  troll  who  owned  it,  and  if  the  Prince 

[40] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

touched  only  the  smallest  twig  the  troll  would  come  out  and 
kill  him  on  the  spot. 

No,  he  would  not  touch  it,  said  the  Prince;  but  when  he 
had  got  the  bird  on  his  hand  he  thought  he  must  have  a 
twig  of  the  tree;  there  was  no  help  for  it,  it  was  so  bright 
and  beautiful.  So  he  took  a  tiny  little  sprig,  but  the  same 
moment  the  troll  came  out. 

"Who  is  that  stealing  my  tree  and  my  bird?"  roared 
the  troll,  and  he  was  so  angry  that  he  spurted  sparks  of 
fire. 

"  Thieves  believe  that  all  men  steal,"  said  the  Prince  ; 
"  but  only  those  get  hanged  who  do  not  steal  properly," 
said  he. 

The  troll  said  that  made  no  difference,  and  was  going  to 
kill  him,  but  the  Prince  begged  him  to  spare  his  life. 

"  Well,"  said  the  troll,  "  if  you  can  bring  me  back  the 
horse  which  my  nearest  neighbor  has  taken  from  me  you 
will  get  off  with  your  life." 

"  Where  shall  I  find  it,  then?"  said  the  Prince. 

"  Oh,  he  lives  three  hundred  miles  at  the  back  of  that 
big  blue  mountain  against  the  horizon  yonder,"  said  the 
troll. 

The  Prince  promised  he  would  do  his  best.  But  when 
he  came  back  to  the  fox  he  found  him  in  rather  a  bad 
temper. 

"  Now  you  have  got  yourself  into  trouble,"  said  the  fox ; 
"if  you  had  listened  to  me  we  could  have  been  on  our  way 
home  by  this,"  said  he. 

So  they  had  to  make  a  fresh  start,  for  the  Prince  had 
pledged  his  word,  and  his  life  depended  on  his  finding  the 
horse. 

At  last  they  got  there,  but  as  the  Prince  was  going  to 
take  the  horse  the  fox  said : 

"  When  you  come  into  the  stable  you  will  find  all  sorts 
of  bridles  hanging  on  the  wall,  both  of  gold  and  silver;  you 
must  not  touch  them,  for  then  the  troll  will  come  and  kill 
you ;  you  must  take  the  ugliest  and  shabbiest  you  see." 

[41] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Yes,  the  Prince  promised  he  would;  but  when  he  came 
into  the  stable  he  thought  it  was  quite  unreasonable  not  to 
take  a  fine  bridle,  for  there  were  plenty  of  them,  and  so 
he  took  the  brightest  he  could  find.  It  was  as  bright  as 
gold,  but  just  then  the  troll  came  and  was  so  angry  that 
sparks  flew  from  him. 

"  Who  is  that  stealing  my  horse  and  my  bridle  ? "  he 
shrieked. 

"  Thieves  believe  that  all  men  steal,"  said  the  Prince ; 
"  but  only  those  get  hanged  who  do  not  steal  properly," 
said  he. 

"  Well,  that  makes  no  difference.  I'll  kill  you  on  the 
spot,"  shouted  the  troll. 

But  the  Prince  begged  him  to  spare  his  life. 

"  Well,"  said  the  troll,  "  if  you  can  bring  me  back  the 
fair  damsel  which  my  nearest  neighbor  has  taken  from  me  I 
will  spare  you." 

"  Whereabouts  does  he  live,  then  ?  "  asked  the  Prince. 

"  Oh,  he  lives  three  hundred  miles  at  the  back  of  that 
big  blue  mountain  against  the  horizon  yonder,"  said  the 
troll. 

The  Prince  promised  he  would  fetch  the  damsel,  and  was 
allowed  to  go,  and  so  he  escaped  with  his  life. 

But  when  he  came  out  you  may  imagine  how  angry  the 
fox  was. 

"  Now  you've  got  yourself  into  trouble  again,"  said  he ; 
"  if  you  had  listened  to  me  we  could  have  been  on  our 
way  home  long  ago.  I  almost  think  I  will  not  go  with  you 
any  further." 

But  the  Prince  begged  and  prayed  and  promised  he  would 
never  do  anything  else  but  what  the  fox  told  him,  if  he 
would  only  remain  with  him.  At  last  the  fox  gave  in,  and 
they  became  firm  friends  again ;  so  they  set  off  once  more 
and  came  at  last  to  where  the  fair  damsel  was. 

"  Well,"  said  the  fox,  "  I  have  your  promise,  but  I  dare 
not  let  you  in  to  the  troll,  after  all ;  this  time  I  must  go 
myself."  So  he  went  in,  and  after  a  while  he  came  out  with 

[42] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

the  damsel,  and  so  they  went  back  the  same  way  they  had 
come. 

When  they  got  to  the  troll  who  had  the  horse  they  took 
both  the  horse  and  the  brightest  bridle;  and  when  they  got 
to  the  troll  who  had  the  linden  tree  and  the  bird,  they  took 
both  the  tree  and  the  bird  and  started  off  with  them. 

When  they  had  got  a  bit  on  the  way  they  came  to  a  field 
of  rye,  and  the  fox  then  said: 

14  I  hear  a  thundering  noise ;  you  had  better  go  on  ahead ; 
I  will  remain  here  awhile,"  he  said.  He  then  plaited  himself 
a  gown  of  rye  straw,  in  which  he  looked  like  a  preacher.  All 
at  once  the  three  trolls  came  rushing  along,  hoping  to  over 
take  the  Prince. 

"  Have  you  seen  anyone  passing  here  with  a  fair  damsel, 
a  horse  with  a  golden  bridle,  a  golden  bird,  and  a  gilded 
linden  tree  ? "  they  shouted  to  the  fox  as  he  stood  there 
preaching. 

"  Well,  I've  heard  from  my  grandmother's  grandmother 
that  something  of  the  kind  passed  this  way,  but  that  was 
in  the  good  old  times,  when  my  grandmother's  grandmother 
baked  halfpenny  cakes  and  gave  back  the  halfpenny." 

Then  all  the  trolls  burst  out  laughing :  "  Ha,  ha,  ha !  "  they 
laughed  and  held  on  to  one  another. 

"  If  we  have  slept  so  long  we  may  as  well  turn  our  noses 
homeward,  and  go  to  sleep  again,"  they  said,  and  so  they 
went  back  the  way  they  came. 

The  fox  then  set  off  after  the  Prince,  but  when  they  came 
to  the  city  where  the  inn  and  his  brothers  were,  he  said : 

"  I  dare  not  go  through  the  town  on  account  of  the  dogs ; 
I  must  go  my  own  way  just  above  here,  but  you  must  take 
good  care  your  brothers  do  not  get  hold  of  you." 

But  when  the  Prince  came  into  the  city  he  thought  it 
would  be  too  bad  if  he  did  not  look  in  upon  his  brothers 
and  have  a  word  with  them,  and  so  he  tarried  there  for 
a  while. 

When  the  brothers  saw  him  they  came  out  and  took  the 
damsel,  and  the  horse,  and  the  bird,  and  the  linden  tree, 

[43] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

and  everything  from  him,  and  they  put  him  in  a  barrel,  and 
threw  him  into  the  sea;  and  so  they  set  off  home  to  the 
King's  palace,  with  the  damsel,  and  the  horse,  and  the  bird, 
and  the  linden  tree,  and  everything.  But  the  damsel  would 
not  speak,  and  she  became  pale  and  wretched  to  look  upon; 
the  horse  got  so  thin  and  miserable  that  it  could  hardly  hang 
together;  the  bird  became  silent  and  shone  no  more,  and 
the  linden  tree  withered. 

In  the  meantime  the  fox  was  sneaking  about  outside  the 
city  where  the  inn  and  the  merriment  were,  and  was  wait 
ing  for  the  Prince  and  the  damsel,  and  wondering  why  they 
did  not  return. 

He  werit  hither  and  thither,  waiting  and  watching  for 
them,  and  at  last  he  came  down  to  the  shore,  and  when  he 
saw  the  barrel,  which  was  lying  out  at  sea  drifting,  he 
shouted :  "  Why  are  you  drifting  about  there,  you  empty 
barrel?" 

"  Oh,  it  is  I,"  said  the  Prince  in  the  barrel. 

The  fox  then  swam  out  to  sea  as  fast  as  he  could,  got 
hold  of  the  barrel,  and  towed  it  to  land;  then  he  began  to 
gnaw  the  hoops,  and  when  he  had  got  some  off  the  barrel, 
he  said  to  the  Prince :  "  Stamp  and  kick." 

The  Prince  stamped  and  kicked  till  all  the  staves  flew 
about,  and  out  he  jumped  from  the  barrel. 

So  they  went  together  to  the  King's  palace,  and  when  they 
got  there  the  damsel  regained  her  beauty  and  began  to  talk, 
the  horse  became  so  fat  and  sleek  that  every  hair  glistened; 
the  light  shone  from  the  bird  and  it  began  to  sing;  the  lin 
den  tree  began  to  blossom  and  its  leaves  to  sparkle,  and  the 
damsel  said,  "  He  is  the  one  who  has  saved  us." 

They  planted  the  linden  tree  in  the  garden,  and  the 
youngest  prince  was  to  marry  the  princess,  for  such  the 
damsel  really  was ;  but  the  two  eldest  brothers  were  put  each 
in  a  barrel  and  rolled  down  a  high  mountain. 

Then  they  began  to  prepare  for  the  wedding,  but  the  fox 
first  asked  the  Prince  to  put  him  on  the  block  and  cut  his 
head  off,  and  although  the  Prince  both  prayed  and  cried, 

[44] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

there  was  no  help  for  it;  he  would  have  to  do  it.  But  as  he 
cut  the  head  off,  the  fox  turned  into  a  handsome  prince, 
and  he  was  the  brother  of  the  princess,  whom  they  had 
rescued  from  the  troll. 

So  the  wedding  came  off  and  everything  was  so  grand 
and  splendid,  that  the  news  of  the  festivities  reached  all  the 
way  here. 


The   Doll  in    the    Grass 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  King  who  had  twelve  sons. 
When  they  were  grown  up  he  told  them  they  must  go 
out  into  the  world  and  find  themselves  wives,  who  must 
all  be  able  to  spin  and  weave  and  make  a  shirt  in  one  day,  else 
he  would  not  have  them  for  daughters-in-law.  He  gave  each 
of  his  sons  a  horse  and  a  new  suit  of  armor,  and  so  they  set 
out  in  the  world  to  look  for  wives. 

When  they  had  traveled  a  bit  on  the  way  they  said  they 
would  not  take  Ashiepattle  with  them,  for  he  was  good  for 
nothing.  Ashiepattle  must  stop  behind ;  there  was  no  help  for 
it.  He  did  not  know  what  he  should  do  or  which  way  he 
should  turn ;  he  became  so  sad  that  he  got  off  the  horse  and 
sat  down  on  the  grass  and  began  to  cry. 

When  he  had  sat  a  while,  one  of  the  tussocks  among  the 
grass  began  to  move,  and  out  of  it  came  a  small  white  figure ; 
as  it  came  nearer  Ashiepattle  saw  that  it  was  a  beautiful  little 
girl,  but  she  was  so  tiny,  so  very,  very  tiny. 

She  went  up  to  him  and  asked  him  if  he  would  come  below 
and  pay  a  visit  to  the  doll  in  the  grass. 

Yes,  that  he  would;  and  so  he  did.  When  he  came  down 
below,  the  doll  in  the  grass  was  sitting  in  a  chair,  dressed  very 
finely  and  looking  still  more  beautiful.  She  asked  Ashiepattle 
where  he  was  going  and  what  was  his  errand. 

He  told  her  they  were  twelve  brothers,  and  that  the  King 
had  given  them  each  a  horse  and  a  suit  of  armor,  and  told 
them  to  go  out  in  the  world  and  find  themselves  wives,  but 

[45] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

they  must  all  be  able  to  spin  and  weave  and  make  a  shirt  in 
a  day. 

"  If  you  can  do  that  and  will  become  my  wife,  I  will  not 

travel  any  farther,"  said  Ashiepattle  to  the  doll  in  the  grass. 

•  Yes,  that  she  would,  and  she  set  to  work  at  once  to  get  the 

shirt  spun,  woven,  and  made ;  but  it  was  so  tiny,  so  very,  very 

tiny,  no  bigger  than — so ! 

Ashiepattle  then  returned  home,  taking  the  shirt  with  him ; 
but  when  he  brought  it  out  he  felt  very  shy  because  it  was  so 
small.  But  the  King  said  he  could  have  her  for  all  that,  and 
you  can  imagine  how  happy  and  joyful  Ashiepattle  became. 

The  road  did  not  seem  long  to  him  as  he  set  out  to  fetch 
his  little  sweetheart.  When  he  came  to  the  doll  in  the  grass 
he  wanted  her  to  sit  with  him  on  his  horse;  but  no,  that  she 
wouldn't ;  she  said  she  would  sit  and  drive  in  a  silver  spoon, 
and  she  had  two  small  white  horses  which  would  draw  her. 
So  they  set  out,  he  on  his  horse  and  she  in  the  silver  spoon; 
and  the  horses  which  drew  her  were  two  small  white  mice. 

Ashiepattle  always  kept  to  one  side  of  the  road,  for  he  was 
so  afraid  he  should  ride  over  her;  she  was  so  very,  very  tiny. 

When  they  had  traveled  a  bit  on  the  way  they  came  to  a 
large  lake ;  there  Ashiepattle's  horse  took  fright  and  shied  over 
to  the  other  side  of  the  road,  and  upset  the  spoon,  so  that  the 
doll  in  the  grass  fell  into  the  water.  Ashiepattle  became  very 
sad,  for  he  did  not  know  how  he  should  get  her  out  again; 
but  after  a  while  a  merman  brought  her  up.  But  now  she 
had  become  just  as  big  as  any  other  grown-up  being  and  was 
much  more  beautiful  than  she  was  before.  So  he  placed  her 
in  front  of  him  on  the  horse  and  rode  home. 

When  Ashiepattle  got  there  all  his  brothers  had  also  re 
turned,  each  with  a  sweetheart;  but  they  were  so  ugly  and 
ill-favored  and  bad-tempered  that  they  had  come  to  blows  with 
their  sweethearts  on  their  way  home.  On  their  heads  they  had 
hats  which  were  painted  with  tar  and  soot,  and  this  had  run 
from  their  hats  down  their  faces,  so  that  they  were  still  uglier 
and  more  ill-favored  to  behold. 

When  the  brothers  saw  Ashiepattle's  sweetheart  they  all  be- 

[46] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

came  envious  of  him,  but  the  King  was  so  pleased  with  Ashie- 
pattle  and  his  sweetheart  that  he  drove  all  the  others  away, 
and  so  Ashiepattle  was  married  to  the  doll  in  the  grass ;  and 
afterwards  they  lived  happy  and  comfortable  for  a  long,  long 
while ;  and  if  they  are  not  dead,  they  must  be  still  alive. 


The    Princess   on    the    Glass    Hill 


X^VNCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  man  who  had  a  meadow 
I  J  which  lay  on  the  side  of  a  mountain,  and  in  the  meadow 
^~r  there  was  a  barn  in  which  he  stored  hay.  But  there 
had  not  been  much  hay  in  the  barn  for  the  last  two  years,  for 
every  St.  John's  eve,  when  the  grass  was  in  the  height  of  its 
vigor,  it  was  all  eaten  clean  up,  just  as  if  a  whole  flock  of 
sheep  had  gnawed  it  down  to  the  ground  during  the  night. 
This  happened  once  and  it  happened  twice,  but  then  the  man 
got  tired  of  losing  his  crop,  and  said  to  his  sons  —  he  had 
three  of  them,  and  the  third  was  called  Cinderlad—  that  one 
of  them  must  go  and  sleep  in  the  barn  on  St.  John's  night, 
for  it  was  absurd  to  let  the  grass  be  eaten  up  again,  blade  and 
stalk,  as  it  had  been  the  last  two  years,  and  the  one  who  went 
to  watch  must  keep  a  sharp  lookout,  the  man  said. 

The  eldest  was  quite  willing  to  go  to  the  meadow.  He 
would  watch  the  grass,  he  said,  and  he  would  do  it  so  well 
that  neither  man  nor  beast,  nor  even  the  devil  himself,  should 
have  any  of  it.  So  when  evening  came  he  went  to  the  barn 
and  lay  down  to  sleep  ;  but  when  night  was  drawing  near  there 
was  such  a  rumbling  and  such  an  earthquake  that  the  walls 
and  roof  shook  again,  and  the  lad  jumped  up  and  took  to  his 
heels  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  never  even  looked  back,  and  the 
barn  remained  empty  that  year  just  as  it  had  been  for  the 
last  two. 

Next  St.  John's  eve  the  man  again  said  he  could  not  go 
on  in  this  way  losing  all  the  grass  in  the  outlying  field  year 
after  year,  and  that  one  of  his  sons  must  just  go  there  and 

[47] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

watch  it,  and  watch  well,  too.  So  the  next  oldest  son  was 
willing  to  show  what  he  could  do.  He  went  to  the  barn  and 
lay  down  to  sleep,  as  his  brother  had  done;  but  when  night 
was  drawing  near  there  was  a  great  rumbling,  and  then  an 
earthquake,  which  was  even  worse  than  that  on  the  former 
St.  John's  night ;  and  when  the  youth  heard  it  he  was  terrified, 
and  went  off,  running  as  if  for  a  wager. 

The  year  after  it  was  Cinderlad's  turn,  but  when  he  made 
ready  to  go  the  others  laughed  at  him  and  mocked  him. 
"  Well,  you  are  just  the  right  one  to  watch  the  hay,  you  who 
have  never  learned  anything  but  how  to  sit  among  the  ashes 
and  bake  yourself !  "  said  they.  Cinderlad  did  not  trouble 
himself  about  what  they  said,  but  when  evening  drew  near 
rambled  away  to  the  outlying  field.  When  he  got  there  he 
went  into  the  barn  and  lay  down,  but  in  about  an  hour's  time 
the  rumbling  and  creaking  began,  and  it  was  frightful  to  hear 
it.  "  Well,  if  it  gets  no  worse  than  that  I  can  manage  to 
stand  it,"  thought  Cinderlad.  In  a  little  time  the  creaking 
began  again,  and  the  earth  quaked  so  that  all  the  hay  flew 
about  the  boy.  "  Oh !  if  it  gets  no  worse  than  that  I  can  man 
age  to  stand  it,"  thought  Cinderlad.  But  then  came  a  third 
rumbling  and  a  third  earthquake,  so  violent  that  the  boy 
thought  the  walls  and  roof  had  fallen  down;  but  when  that 
was  over  everything  suddenly  grew  as  still  as  death  around 
him.  "  I  am  pretty  sure  that  it  will  come  again,"  thought 
Cinderlad;  but  no,  it  did  not.  Everything  was  quiet  and 
everything  stayed  quiet,  and  when  he  had  lain  still  a  short 
time  he  heard  something  that  sounded  as  if  a  horse  were 
standing  chewing  just  outside  the  barn  door.  He  stole  away 
to  the  door,  which  was  ajar,  to  see  what  was  there,  and  a 
horse  was  standing  eating.  It  was  so  big  and  fat  and  fine 
a  horse  that  Cinderlad  had  never  seen  one  like  it  before,  and  a 
saddle  and  bridle  lay  upon  it,  and  a  complete  suit  of  armor 
for  a  knight,  and  everything  was  of  copper  and  so  bright  that 
it  shone  again.  "  Ha !  ha !  it  is  thou  who  eatest  up  our  hay, 
then,"  thought  the  boy ;  "  but  I  will  stop  that."  So  he  made 
haste  and  took  out  his  steel  for  striking  fire  and  threw  it  over 

[48] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

the  horse,  and  then  it  had  no  power  to  stir  from  the  spot,  and 
became  so  tame  that  the  boy  could  do  what  he  liked  with  it. 
So  he  mounted  it  and  rode  away  to  a  place  which  no  one  knew 
of  but  himself,  and  there  he  tied  it  up.  When  he  went  home 
again  his  brothers  laughed  and  asked  how  he  had  got  on. 

"  You  didn't  lie  long  in  the  barn,  if  even  you  have  been  so 
far  as  the  field !  "  said  they. 

"  I  lay  in  the  barn  till  the  sun  rose,  but  I  saw  nothing  and 
heard  nothing,  not  I,"  said  the  boy.  "'  Heaven  knows  what 
there  was  to  make  you  two  so  frightened." 

"  Well,  we  shall  soon  see  whether  you  have  watched  the 
meadow  or  not,"  answered  the  brothers ;  but  when  they  got 
there  the  grass  was  all  standing  just  as  long  and  as  thick  as 
it  had  been  the  night  before. 

The  next  St.  John's  eve  it  was  the  same  thing  once  again. 
Neither  of  the  two  brothers  dared  to  go  to  the  outlying  field 
to  watch  the  crop,  but  Cinderlad  went,  and  everything  hap 
pened  exactly  the  same  as  on  the  previous  St.  John's  eve. 
First  there  was  a  rumbling  and  an  earthquake,  and  then  there 
was  another,  and  then  a  third ;  but  all  three  earthquakes  were 
much,  very  much  more  violent  than  they  had  been  the  year 
before.  Then  everything  became  still  as  death  again,  and  the 
boy  heard  something  chewing  outside  the  barn  door,  so  he 
stole  as  softly  as  he  could  to  the  door,  which  was  slightly 
ajar,  and  again  there  was  a  horse  standing  close  by  the  wall 
of  the  house,  eating  and  chewing,  and  it  was  far  larger  and 
fatter  than  the  first  horse,  and  it  had  a  saddle  on  its  back, 
and  a  bridle  was  on  it,  too,  and  a  full  suit  of  armor  for  a 
knight,  all  of  bright  silver,  and  as  beautiful  as  anyone  could 
wish  to  see.  "  Ho !  ho !  "  thought  the  boy,  "  is  it  thou  who 
eatest  up  our  hay  in  the  night  ?  But  I  will  put  a  stop  to  that." 
So  he  took  out  his  steel  for  striking  fire  and  threw  it  over  the 
horse's  mane,  and  the  beast  stood  there  as  quiet  as  a  lamb. 
Then  the  boy  rode  this  horse,  too,  away  to  the  place  where  he 
kept  the  other,  and  then  went  home  again. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  tell  us  that  you  have  watched  well 
again  this  time."  said  the  brothers. 

[49] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"Well,  so  I  have,"  said  Cinderlad.  So  they  went  there 
again,  and  there  the  grass  was,  standing  as  high  and  as  thick 
as  it  had  been  before ;  but  that  did  not  make  them  any  kinder 
to  Cinderlad. 

When  the  third  St.  John's  night  came,  neither  of  the  two 
elder  brothers  dared  to  lie  in  the  outlying  barn  to  watch  the 
grass,  for  they  had  been  so  heartily  frightened  the  night  that 
they  had  slept  there  that  they  could  not  get  over  it;  but  Cin 
derlad  dared  to  go,  and  everything  happened  just  the  same  as 
on  the  two  former  nights.  There  were  three  earthquakes,  each 
worse  than  the  other,  and  the  last  flung  the  boy  from  one  wall 
of  the  barn  to  the  other,  but  then  everything  suddenly  became 
still  as  death.  When  he  had  lain  quietly  a  short  time  he  heard 
something  chewing  outside  the  barn  door.  Then  he  once 
more  stole  to  the  door,  which  was  slightly  ajar,  and  behold!  a 
horse  was  standing  just  outside  it,  which  was  much  larger  and 
fatter  than  the  two  others  he  had  caught.  "  Ho !  ho !  it  is 
thou,  then,  who  art  eating  up  our  hay  this  time,"  thought  the 
boy;  "but  I  will  put  a  stop  to  that."  So  he  pulled  out  his 
steel  for  striking  fire  and  threw  it  over  the  horse,  and  it  stood 
as  still  as  if  it  had  been  nailed  to  the  field,  and  the  boy  could 
do  just  what  he  liked  with  it.  Then  he  mounted  it  and  rode 
away  to  the  place  where  he  had  the  two  others,  and  then  he 
went  home  again.  Then  the  two  brothers  mocked  him  just 
as  they  had  done  before,  and  told  him  that  they  could  see  that 
he  must  have  watched  the  grass  very  carefully  that  night, 
for  he  looked  just  as  if  he  were  walking  in  his  sleep ;  but 
Cinderlad  did  not  trouble  himself  about  that,  but  just  bade 
them  go  to  the  field  and  see.  They  did  go,  and  this  time, 
too,  the  grass  was  standing,  looking  as  fine  and  as  thick  as 
ever. 

The  King  of  the  country  in  which  Cinderlad's  father  dwelt 
had  a  daughter  whom  he  would  give  to  no  one  who  could  not 
ride  up  to  the  top  of  the  glass  hill,  for  there  was  a  high,  high 
hill  of  glass,  slippery  as  ice,  and  it  was  close  to  the  King's 
palace.  Upon  the  very  top  of  this  the  King's  daughter  was  to 
sit  with  three  golden  apples  in  her  lap,  and  the  man  who  could 

[so] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

ride  up  and  take  the  three  golden  apples  should  marry  her 
and  have  half  the  kingdom.  The  King  had  this  proclaimed 
in  every  church  in  the  whole  kingdom,  and  in  many  other 
kingdoms,  too.  The  Princess  was  very  beautiful,  and  all  who 
saw  her  fell  violently  in  love  with  her,  even  in  spite  of  them 
selves.  So  it  is  needless  to  say  that  all  the  princes  and  knights 
were  eager  to  win  her  and  half  the  kingdom  besides,  and  that 
for  this  cause  they  came  riding  thither  from  the  very  end  of 
the  world,  dressed  so  splendidly  that  their  raiments  gleamed 
in  the  sunshine,  and  riding  on  horses  which  seemed  to  dance 
as  they  went,  and  there  was  not  one  of  these  princes  who  did 
not  think  that  he  was  sure  to  win  the  Princess. 

When  the  day  appointed  by  the  King  had  come,  there  was 
such  a  host  of  knights  and  princes  under  the  glass  hill  that 
they  seemed  to  swarm,  and  everyone  who  could  walk  or  even 
creep  was  there,  too,  to  see  who  won  the  King's  daughter. 
Cinderlad's  two  brothers  were  there,  but  they  would  not  hear 
of  letting  him  go  with  them,  for  he  was  so  dirty  and  black 
with  sleeping  and  grubbing  among  the  ashes  that  they  said 
everyone  would  laugh  at  them  if  they  were  seen  in  the  com 
pany  of  such  an  oaf. 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  go  all  alone  by  myself,"  said  Cin- 
derlad. 

When  the  two  brothers  got  to  the  glass  hill  all  the  princes 
and  knights  were  trying  to  ride  up  it,  and  their  horses  were 
in  a  foam ;  but  it  was  all  in  vain,  for  no  sooner  did  the  horses 
set  foot  upon  the  hill  than  down  they  slipped,  and  there  was 
not  one  which  could  get  even  so  much  as  a  couple  of  yards 
up.  Nor  was  that  strange,  for  the  hill  was  as  smooth  as  glass 
windowpanes  and  as  steep  as  the  side  of  a  house.  But  they 
were  all  eager  to  win  the  King's  daughter  and  half  the  king 
dom,  so  they  rode  and  they  slipped,  and  thus  it  went  on.  At 
length  all  the  horses  were  so  tired  that  they  could  do  no  more 
and  so  hot  that  the  foam  dropped  from  them,  and  the  riders 
were  forced  to  give  up  the  attempt. 

The  King  was  just  thinking  that  he  would  cause  it  to  be 
proclaimed  that  the  riding  should  begin  afresh  on  the  follow- 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

ing  day,  when  perhaps  it  might  go  better,  when  suddenly  a 
knight  came  riding  up  on  so  fine  a  horse  that  no  one  had  ever 
seen  the  like  of  it  before,  and  the  knight  had  armor  of  cop 
per,  and  his  bridle  was  of  copper,  too,  and  all  his  accouter- 
ments  were  so  bright  that  they  shone  again.  The  other  knights 
all  called  out  to  him  that  he  might  just  as  well  spare  himself 
the  trouble  of  trying  to  ride  up  the  glass  hill,  for  it  was  of 
no  use  to  try ;  but  he  did  not  heed  them,  and  rode  straight  off 
to  it  and  went  up  as  if  it  were  nothing  at  all.  Thus  he  rode 
for  a  long  way — it  may  have  been  a  third  part  of  the  way 
up — but  when  he  had  got  so  far  he  turned  his  horse  round 
and  rode  down  again.  But  the  Princess  thought  that  she  had 
never  yet  seen  so  handsome  a  knight,  and  while  he  was  riding 
up  she  was  sitting  thinking,  "  Oh,  how  I  hope  he  may  be  able 
to  come  up  to  the  top !  "  And  when  she  saw  that  he  was  turn 
ing  his  horse  back  she  threw  one  of  the  golden  apples  down 
after  him,  and  it  rolled  into  his  shoe.  But  when  he  had  come 
down  from  off  the  hill  he  rode  away,  and  that  so  fast  that  no 
one  knew  what  had  become  of  him. 

So  all  the  princes  and  knights  were  bidden  to  present  them 
selves  before  the  King  that  night,  so  that  he  who  had  ridden 
so  far  up  the  glass  hill  might  show  the  golden  apple  which 
the  king's  daughter  had  thrown  down.  But  no  one  had  any 
thing  to  show.  One  knight  presented  himself  after  the  other, 
and  none  could  show  the  apple. 

At  night,  too,  Cinderlad's  brothers  came  home  again  and 
had  a  long  story  to  tell  about  the  riding  up  the  glass  hill.  At 
first,  they  said,  there  was  not  one  who  was  able  to  get  even 
so  much  as  one  step  up,  but  then  came  a  knight  who  had 
armor  of  copper  and  a  bridle  of  copper,  and  his  armor  and 
trappings  were  so  bright  that  they  shone  to  a  great  distance, 
and  it  was  something  like  a  sight  to  see  him  riding.  He  rode 
one  third  of  the  way  up  the  glass  hill,  and  he  could  easily 
have  ridden  the  whole  of  it  if  he  had  liked ;  but  he  had  turned 
back,  for  he  had  made  up  his  mind  that  that  was  enough  for 
once.  "  Oh !  I  should  have  liked  to  see  him  too,  that  I  should," 
said  Cinderlad,  who  was  as  usual  sitting  .by  the  chimney  among 

[52] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

the  cinders.  "  You,  indeed !  "  said  the  brothers.  "  You  look 
as  if  you  were  fit  to  be  among  such  great  lords,  dirty  creature 
that  you  are  to  sit  there !  " 

Next  day  the  brothers  were  for  setting  out  again,  and  this 
time,  too,  Cinderlad  begged  them  to  let  him  go  with  them 
and  see  who  rode ;  but  no,  they  said  he  was  not  fit  to  do  that, 
for  he  was  much  too  ugly  and  dirty.  "  Well,  well,  then  I 
will  go  all  alone  by  myself,"  said  Cinderlad.  So  the  brothers 
went  to  the  glass  hill,  and  all  the  princes  and  knights  began 
to  ride  again,  and  this  time  they  had  taken  care  to  rough  the 
shoes  of  their  horses ;  but  that  did  not  help  them.  They  rode 
and  they  slipped  as  they  had  done  the  day  before,  and  not 
one  of  them  could  even  get  so  far  as  a  yard  up  the  hill.  When 
they  had  tired  out  their  horses,  so  that  they  could  do  no  more, 
they  again  had  to  stop  altogether.  But  just  as  the  King  was 
thinking  that  it  would  be  well  to  proclaim  that  the  riding 
should  take  place  next  day  for  the  last  time,  so  that  they  might 
have  one  more  chance,  he  suddenly  bethought  himself  that  it 
would  be  well  to  wait  a  little  longer  to  see  if  the  knight  in 
copper  armor  would  come  on  this  day  too.  But  nothing  was 
to  be  seen  of  him. 

Just  as  they  were  still  looking  for  him,  however,  came  a 
knight  riding  on  a  steed  that  was  much,  much  finer  than  that 
which  the  knight  in  copper  armor  had  ridden,  and  this  knight 
had  silver  armor  and  a  silver  saddle  and  bridle,  and  all  were 
so  bright  that  they  shone  and  glistened  when  he  was  a  long 
way  off.  Again  the  other  knights  called  to  him,  and  said  that 
he  might  just  as  well  give  up  the  attempt  to  ride  up  the  glass 
hill,  for  it  was  useless  to  try ;  but  the  knight  paid  no  heed  to 
that,  but  rode  straight  away  to  the  glass  hill,  and  went  still 
farther  up  than  the  knight  in  copper  armor  had  gone;  but 
when  he  had  ridden  two  thirds  of  the  way  up  he  turned  his 
horse  round  and  rode  down  again.  The  Princess  liked  this 
knight  still  better  than  she  had  liked  the  other,  and  sat  long 
ing  that  he  might  be  able  to  get  up  above,  and  when  she  saw 
him  turning  back  she  threw  the  second  apple  after  him,  and 
it  rolled  into  his  shoe,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  got  down  the 

153] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

glass  hill  he  rode  away  so  fast  that  no  one  could  see  what  had 
become  of  him. 

In  the  evening,  when  everyone  was  to  appear  before  the 
King  and  Princess,  in  order  that  he  who  had  the  golden  apple 
might  show  it,  one  knight  went  in  after  the  other,  but  none 
of  them  had  a  golden  apple  to  show. 

At  night  the  two  brothers  went  home  as  they  had  done  the 
night  before,  and  told  how  things  had  gone,  and  how  every 
one  had  ridden,  but  no-one  had  been  able  to  get  up  the  hill. 
"  But  last  of  all,"  they  said,  "  came  one  in  silver  armor,  and 
he  had  a  silver  bridle  on  his  horse  and  a  silver  saddle,  and  oh, 
but  he  could  ride !  He  took  his  horse  two  thirds  of  the  way 
up  the  hill,  but  then  he  turned  back.  He  was  a  fine  fellow," 
said  the  brothers,  "  and  the  Princess  threw  the  second  golden 
apple  to  him !  " 

"  Oh,  how  I  should  have  liked  to  see  him  too ! "  said 
Cinderlad. 

"  Oh,  indeed !  He  was  a  little  brighter  than  the  ashes  that 
you  sit  grubbing  among,  you  dirty,  black  creature !  "  said  the 
brothers. 

On  the  third  day  everything  went  just  as  on  the  former 
days.  Cinderlad  wanted  to  go  with  them  to  look  at  the  riding, 
but  the  two  brothers  would  not  have  him  in  their  company, 
and  when  they  got  to  the  glass  hill  there  was  no  one  who 
could  ride  even  so  far  as  a  yard  up  it,  and  everyone  waited 
for  the  knight  in  silver  armor,  but  he  was  neither  to  be  seen 
nor  heard  of.  At  last,  after  a  long  time,  came  a  knight  riding 
upon  a  horse  that  was  such  a  fine  one  its  equal  had  never  yet 
been  seen.  The  knight  had  golden  armor  and  the  horse  a 
golden  saddle  and  bridle,  and  these  were  all  so  bright  that  they 
shone  and  dazzled  everyone,  even  while  the  knight  was  still  at 
a  great  distance.  The  other  princes  and  knights  were  not  able 
even  to  call  to  tell  him  how  useless  it  was  to  try  to  ascend  the 
hill,  so  amazed  were  they  at  the  sight  of  his  magnificence.  He 
rode  straight  away  to  the  glass  hill,  and  galloped  up  it  as  if 
it  were  no  hill  at  all,  so  that  the  Princess  had  not  even  time 
to  wish  that  he  might  get  up  the  whole  way.  As  soon  as  he 

[54] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

had  ridden  to  the  top  he  took  the  third  golden  apple  from  the 
lap  of  the  Princess,  and  then  turned  his  horse  about  and  rode 
down  again,  and  vanished  from  their  sight  before  anyone  was 
able  to  say  a  word  to  him. 

When  the  two  brothers  came  home  again  at  night  they  had 
much  to  tell  of  how  the  riding  had  gone  off  that  day,  and  at 
last  they  told  about  the  knight  in  the  golden  armor  too.  "  He 
was  a  fine  fellow,  that  was !  Such  another  splendid  knight  is 
not  to  be  found  on  earth !  "  said  the  brothers. 

"  Oh,  how  I  should  have  liked  to  see  him  too ! "  said 
Cinderlad. 

"  Well,  he  shone  nearly  as  brightly  as  the  coal-heaps  that 
thou  art  always  lying  raking  among,  dirty  black  creature  that 
thou  art !  "  said  the  brothers. 

Next  day  all  the  knights  and  princes  were  to  appear  before 
the  King  and  the  Princess — it  had  been  too  late  for  them  to 
do  it  the  night  before — in  order  that  he  who  had  the  golden 
apple  might  produce  it.  They  all  went  in  turn,  first  princes 
and  then  knights,  but  none  of  them  had  a  golden  apple. 

"  But  somebody  must  have  it,"  said  the  King,  "  for  with  our 
own  eyes  we  all  saw  a  man  ride  up  and  take  it."  So  he  com 
manded  that  everyone  in  the  kingdom  should  come  to  the  pal 
ace  and  see  if  he  could  show  the  apple.  And  one  after  the 
other  they  all  came,  but  no  one  had  the  golden  apple,  and 
after  a  long,  long  time  Cinderlad's  two  brothers  came  like 
wise.  They  were  the  last  of  all,  so  the  King  inquired  of  them 
if  there  was  no  one  else  in  the  kingdom  left  to  come. 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  have  a  brother,"  said  the  two,  "  but  he  never 
got  the  golden  apple !  He  never  left  the  cinder-heap  on  any 
of  the  three  days." 

"  Never  mind  that,"  said  the  King.  "  As  everyone  else  has 
come  to  the  palace,  let  him  come  too." 

So  Cinderlad  was  forced  to  go  to  the  King's  palace. 

"  Hast  thou  the  golden  apple  ?  "  asked  the  King. 

"  Yes,  here  is  the  first,  and  here  is  the  second,  and  here  is 
the  third  too,"  said  Cinderlad,  and  he  took  all  the  three  apples 
out  of  his  pocket,  and  with  that  threw  off  his  sooty  rags  and 

[551 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

appeared  there  before  them  in  his  bright  golden  armor,  which 
gleamed  as  he  stood. 

"  Thou  shalt  have  my  daughter  and  the  half  of  my  kingdom, 
and  thou  hast  well  earned  both ! "  said  the  King.  So  there 
was  a  wedding,  and  Cinderlad  got  the  King's  daughter,  and 
everyone  made  merry  at  the  wedding,  for  all  of  them  could 
make  merry,  though  they  could  not  ride  up  the  glass  hill,  and 
if  they  have  not  left  off  their  merry-making  they  must  be  at 
it  still. 


The    Ram   and  the  Pig  who  went  into  the 
Woods   to    Live   by    Themselves 

rHERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  ram,  who  was  being 
fattened  up  for  killing.  He  had  therefore  plenty  to 
eat,  and  he  soon  became  round  and  fat  with  all  the 
good  things  he  got.  One  day  the  dairymaid  came  and  gave 
him  some  more  food. 

"  You  must  eat,  Ram/'  she  said ;  "  you'll  not  be  long  here 
now,  for  to-morrow  we  are  going  to  kill  you." 

"  There's  an  old  saying  that  no  one  should  sneer  at  old 
women's  advice,  and  that  advice  and  physic  can  be  had  for 
everything  except  death,"  thought  the  Ram  to  himself ;  "  but 
perhaps  I  might  manage  to  escape  it  this  time." 

And  so  he  went  on  eating  till  he  was  full,  and  when  he  was 
quite  satisfied  he  ran  his  horns  against  the  door,  burst  it  open, 
and  set  off  to  the  neighboring  farm.  There  he  made  straight 
for  the  pigsty,  to  look  for  a  pig  with  whom  he  had  struck  up 
an  acquaintance  on  the  common,  since  when  they  had  always 
been  good  friends  and  got  on  well  together. 

"  Good  day,  and  thanks  for  your  kindness  last  time  we  met," 
said  the  Ram  to  the  Pig. 

"  Good  day,  and  thanks  to  you,"  said  the  Pig. 

"  Do  you  know  why  they  make  you  so  comfortable,  and 
why  they  feed  you  and  look  after  you  so  well  ?  "  said  the  Ram. 

[56] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  No,"  said  the  Pig. 

"  There  are  many  mouths  to  feed  on  this  farm,  you  must 
know,"  said  the  Ram ;  "  they  are  going  to  kill  you  and  eat 
you." 

"Are  they?"  said  the  Pig.  "Well,  much  good  may  it  do 
them!" 

"  If  you  are  of  the  same  mind  as  I,  we  will  go  into  the 
woods  and  build  a  house  and  live  by  ourselves ;  there  is  noth 
ing  like  having  a  home  of  your  own,  you  know,"  said  the  Ram. 

Yes,  the  Pig  was  quite  willing.  "  It's  nice  to  be  in  fine 
company,"  said  he,  and  off  they  started. 

When  they  had  got  a  bit  on  the  way  they  met  a  goose. 

4<  Good  day,  my  good  people,  and  thanks  for  your  kindness 
last  time  we  met,"  said  the  Goose.  "  Where  are  you  off  to  ?  " 

"  Good  day,  and  thanks  to  you,"  said  the  Ram.  "  We  had 
it  altogether  too  comfortable  at  our  place,  so  we  are  off  to  the 
woods  to  live  by  ourselves.  In  your  own  house  you  are  your 
own  master,  you  know,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  I'm  very  comfortable  where  I  am,"  said  the  Goose; 
"but  why  shouldn't  I  join  you?  Good  company  makes  the 
day  shorter/'  said  she. 

"  But  neither  hut  nor  house  can  be  built  by  gabbling  and 
quacking,"  said  the  Pig.  "  What  do  you  think  you  can  do?  " 

"  Good  counsel  and  skill  may  do  as  much  as  a  giant's  will," 
said  the  Goose.  "  I  can  pluck  moss  and  stuff  it  into  the 
crevices,  so  that  the  house  will  be  warm  and  comfortable." 

Well,  she  might  come  with  them,  thought  the  Pig,  for  he 
liked  the  place  to  be  warm  and  cozy. 

When  they  had  gone  a  bit  on  the  way — the  Goose  was  not 
getting  along  very  fast—they  met  a  hare,  who  came  scamper 
ing  out  of  the  wood. 

"  Good  day,  my  good  people,  and  thanks  for  your  kindness 
the  last  time  we  met,"  said  the  Hare.  "  How  far  are  you 
going  to-day  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Good  day,  and  thanks  to  you,"  said  the  Ram ;  "  we  had  it 
altogether  too  comfortable  at  our  place,  so  we  are  off  to  the 
woods  to  build  a  house  and  live  by  ourselves.  When  vou  have 

[57] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

tried  both  East  and  West,  you'll  find  that  a  home  of  your  own 
is,  after  all,  the  best,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  I  have,  of  course,  a  home  in  every  bush,"  said  the 
Hare ;  "  but  I  have  often  said  to  myself  in  the  winter  that  if 
I  lived  till  the  summer  I  would  build  a  house,  so  I  have  a 
good  mind  to  go  with  you  and  build  one  after  all,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  we  might  take  you 
with  us  to  frighten  the  dogs  away,"  said  the  Pig,  "  for  you 
couldn't  help  us  to  build  the  house,  I  should  say." 

"  There  is  always  something  for  willing  hands  to  do  in  this 
world,"  said  the  Hare.  "  I  have  teeth  to  gnaw  pegs  with,  and 
I  have  paws  to  knock  them  into  the  walls,  so  I'll  do  very  well 
for  a  carpenter ;  for  '  good  tools  make  good  work,'  as  the  man 
said,  when  he  skinned  his  mare  with  an  auger,"  said  the  Hare. 

Well,  he  might  come  along  with  them  and  help  to  build  the 
house ;  there  could  be  no  harm  in  that. 

When  they  had  got  a  bit  farther  on  the  way  they  met  a  cock. 

"  Good  clay,  my  good  people,  and  thanks  for  your  kindness 
last  time  we  met,"  said  the  Cock ;  "  where  are  you  all  going 
to-day  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Good  day,  and  thanks  to  you,"  said  the  Ram ;  "  we  had 
it  altogether  too  comfortable  at  our  place,  so  we  are  off  to 
the  woods  to  build  a  house  and  live  by  ourselves.  '  For  unless 
at  home  you  bake,  you'll  lose  both  fuel  and  cake,'  "  said  he. 

"  Well,  I  am  comfortable  enough  where  I  am,"  said  the 
Cock,  "  but  it's  better  to  have  your  own  roost  than  to  sit  on 
a  stranger's  perch  and  crow ;  and  that  cock  is  best  off  who  has 
a  home  of  his  own,"  said  he.  "  If  I  could  join  such  fine  com 
pany  as  yours,  I,  too,  would  like  to  go  to  the  woods  and  build 
a  house." 

"  Well,  flapping  and  crowing  is  all  very  well  for  noise,  but 
it  won't  cut  joists,"  said  the  Pig.  "  You  can't  help  us  to  build 
a  house/'  he  said. 

"  It  is  not  well  to  live  in  a  house  where  there  is  neither  dog 
nor  cock,"  said  the  Cock;  "I  am  early  to  rise  and  early  to 
crow." 

"  Yes,  '  early  to  rise  makes  one  wealthy  and  wise/  so  let 

[58] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

him  come  with  us !  "  said  the  Pig.  (He  was  always  the  heavi 
est  sleeper.)  "  Sleep  is  a  big  thief,  and  steals  half  one's  life," 
he  said. 

So  they  all  set  off  to  the  woods  and  built  the  house.  The 
Pig  felled  the  trees  and  the  Ram  dragged  them  home;  the 
Hare  was  the  carpenter,  and  gnawed  pegs  and  hammered  them 
into  walls  and  roof ;  the  Goose  plucked  moss  and  stuffed  it  into 
the  crevices  between  the  logs ;  the  Cock  crew  and  took  care 
that  they  did  not  oversleep  themselves  in  the  mornings,  and 
when  the  house  was  ready  and  the  roof  covered  with  birch 
bark  and  thatched  with  turf,  they  could  at  least  live  by  them 
selves,  and  they  were  all  both  happy  and  contented. 

"  It's  pleasant  to  travel  both  East  and  West,  but  home  is, 
after  all,  the  best,"  said  the  Ram. 

But  a  bit  farther  into  the  wood  two  wolves  had  their  lair, 
and  when  they  saw  that  a  new  house  had  been  built  hard  by 
they  wanted  to  know  what  sort  of  folks  they  had  got  for  neigh 
bors.  For  they  thought,  "  a  good  neighbor  is  better  than  a 
brother  in  a  foreign  land,  and  it  is  better  to  live  among  good 
neighbors  than  to  be  known  far  and  wide." 

So  one  of  them  made  it  his  business  to  call  there  and  ask 
for  a  light  for  his  pipe.  The  moment  he  came  inside  the  door 
the  Ram  rushed  at  him,  and  gave  him  such  a  butt  with  his 
horns  that  the  wolf  fell  on  his  head  into  the  hearth ;  the  Pig 
snapped  and  bit,  the  Goose  nipped  and  pecked,  the  Cock  flew 
up  on  a  rafter  and  began  to  crow  and  cackle,  and  the  Hare 
became  so  frightened  that  he  scampered  and  jumped  around, 
both  high  and  low,  and  knocked  and  scrambled  about  from 
one  corner  of  the  room  to  the  other. 

At  last  the  Wolf  managed  to  get  out  of  the  house. 

"  Well,  to  know  one's  neighbors  is  to  add  to  one's  wisdom," 
said  the  Wolf  who  was  waiting  outside ;  "  I  suppose  you  had 
a  grand  reception,  since  you  stayed  so  long.  But  what  about 
the  light?  I  don't  see  either  pipe  or  smoke,"  said  he. 

"  Yes,  that  was  a  nice  light  I  got,  and  a  nice  lot  of  people 
they  were,"  said  he  who  had  been  inside.  "  Such  treatment 
I  never  met  with  before,  but  '  as  you  make  your  bed  so  you 

[59] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

must  lie,'  and  '  an  unexpected  guest  must  put  up  with  what 
he  gets,'  "  said  the  Wolf.  "  No  sooner  was  I  inside  the  door 
than  the  shoemaker  threw  his  last  at  me,  and  I  fell  on  my 
head  in  the  middle  of  the  forge;  there  sat  two  smiths,  blow 
ing  bellows  and  pinching  and  snipping  bits  of  flesh  off  me  with 
red-hot  tongs  and  pincers;  the  hunter  rushed  about  the  room 
looking  for  his  gun,  but,  as  luck  would  have  it,  he  couldn't 
find  it.  And  up  on  the  rafters  sat  some  one  beating  his  arms 
about  and  shouting :  '  Let's  hook  him !  let's  hook  him !  Sling 
him  up !  sling  him  up ! '  and  if  he  had  only  got  hold  of  me  I 
should  never  have  come  out  alive." 


The    Troll's   Hammer 

JTJr.T"HEN  a  great  famine  prevails  in  a  country  even  the 
yy^  rich  suffer.  Hard,  indeed,  must  the  lot  of  the  poor 
'  r  peasant  be  at  such  a  time. 

During  a  famine  a  poor  peasant,  unable  to  support  all  his 
family,  told  his  eldest  son,  Niels,  that  he  would  have  to  go  out 
in  the  world  and  provide  for  himself. 

Niels  left  home  and  went  out  to  seek  his  fortune.  As  the 
evening  of  the  first  day  drew  on,  he  found  himself  in  a  dense 
forest,  and  fearing  lest  the  wild  beasts  might  do  him  harm 
during  the  night,  he  climbed  into  a  tree.  Hardly  had  he 
reached  his  perch,  when  he  saw  a  little  man  running  toward 
the  tree.  He  was  hunchbacked,  and  had  crooked  legs,  a  long 
beard,  and  wore  on  his  head  a  red  cap.  He  was  pursued  by 
a  wolf,  which  attacked  him  just  under  the  tree  in  which  Niels 
was  sitting.  The  little  man  began  to  scream;  he  bit  and 
scratched,  and  defended  himself  as  well  as  he  could.  But  the 
wolf  was  the  stronger,  and  would  have  torn  the  little  fellow 
to  pieces  if  Niels  had  not  sprung  down  from  the  tree.  As 
soon  as  the  wolf  saw  that  he  had  two  to  contend  with,  he  fled 
back  into  the  forest. 

The  troll  then  said  to  Niels: 

[fe] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Thou  hast  preserved  my  life  and  done  me  a  good  service; 
in  return  I  will  also  give  thee  something  that  will  be  of  use. 
See!  here  is  a  hammer  with  which  thou  shalt  be  able  to  do 
smith's  work  that  no  one  shall  be  able  to  equal."  When  the 
troll  had  spoken  these  words,  he  sank  into  the  ground  and 
disappeared. 

The  next  day  the  boy  wandered  on  until  he  came  to  the 
neighborhood  of  the  royal  palace,  and  here  he  engaged  himself 
to  a  smith. 

Now  it  just  happened  that  a  few  days  before  a  thief  had 
broken  into  the  King's  treasury  and  stolen  a  large  bag  of 
money.  All  the  smiths  in  the  city  were  therefore  sent  for  to 
the  palace,  and  the  King  promised  that  he  who  could  make 
the  best  lock  should  be  appointed  court  locksmith,  and  have 
a  handsome  reward  into  the  bargain.  The  lock  had  to  be 
finished  in  eight  days,  and  so  constructed  that  it  could  not 
be  picked  by  anyone. 

When  the  smith,  with  whom  Niels  lived,  returned  home  and 
related  this,  the  boy  thought  he  should  like  to  try  whether 
his  hammer  really  possessed  those  qualities  which  the  troll 
had  said.  He  therefore  begged  his  master  to  allow  him  to 
make  a  lock,  and  promised  that  it  should  be  finished  by  the 
appointed  time.  Although  the  smith  had  no  great  opinion 
of  the  boy's  abilities,  he  permitted  the  trial. 

Niels  then  requested  a  separate  workshop,  locked  himself 
in,  and  began  hammering  the  iron.  One  day  went,  and  then 
another,  and  the  master  began  to  be  curious;  but  Niels  let  no 
one  come  into  his  shop,  and  the  smith  was  obliged  to  remain 
outside,  and  peep  through  the  keyhole.  The  work,  however, 
succeeded  far  better  than  the  boy  himself  had  expected;  and, 
without  his  really  knowing  how  it  came  to  pass,  the  lock  was 
finished  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day. 

The  following  morning  he  went  down  to  his  master  and 
asked  for  some  money.  "  Yesterday  I  worked  hard,"  said 
Niels,  "  and  to-day  I  will  enjoy  myself." 

He  went  out  of  the  city,  and  did  not  return  to  the 
workshop  till  late  in  the  evening.  The  next  day  and  the 

[61] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

next  he  did  the  same,  and  so  through  the  rest  of  the 
week. 

His  master  was  very  angry  at  this,  and  threatened  to  turn 
him  away  unless  he  finished  his  work  at  the  appointed  time. 
But  Niels  told  him  to  rest  easy,  and  engaged  that  his  lock 
should  be  the  best. 

When  the  day  arrived,  Niels  brought  his  work  forth,  and 
carried  it  up  to  the  palace.  His  lock  was  so  ingenious  and 
so  delicately  made,  that  it  far  excelled  all  the  others.  Niels's 
master  was  acknowledged  as  the  most  skillful,  and  he  received 
the  promised  office  and  reward. 

The  smith  was  delighted,  but  he  took  good  care  not  to 
confess  to  anyone  who  it  was  that  had  made  the  curious  lock. 
He  received  one  job  after  another  from  the  King,  and  let 
Niels  do  them  all. 

In  the  meantime  the  report  spread  from  place  to  place 
of  the  wonderful  lock  the  King  had  got  for  his  treasury. 
Travelers  came  from  a  distance  to  see  it,  and  a  foreign  King 
came  among  them.  When  he  had  examined  the  work  a 
long  time  he  said  that  the  man  who  had  made  such  a  lock 
deserved  to  be  honored  and  respected. 

"  But  however  good  a  smith  he  may  be,"  added  the  foreign 
King,  "  I  have  his  master  at  home." 

He  continued  boasting  in  this  manner,  till  at  length  the 
two  kings  made  a  wager  as  to  which  smith  could  execute  the 
most  skillful  piece  of  workmanship.  The  smiths  were  sent 
for,  and  the  two  kings  determined  that  each  smith  should 
make  a  knife. 

The  smith  related  to  Niels  what  had  passed,  and  desired 
him  to  try  whether  he  could  make  as  good  a  knife  as  the 
lock  he  had  made.  Niels  promised  to  do  so,  although  his 
last  work  had  not  brought  him  much.  The  smith  was  in 
truth  a  mean  man,  and  treated  Niels  so  niggardly  that  some 
times  he  had  not  enough  to  eat  and  drink. 

One  day,  as  he  was  out  buying  steel  to  make  the  knife, 
he  met  a  man  from  his  own  village,  and,  in  the  course  of 
conversation,  Niels  learned  that  his  father  was  in  great  want 

[62] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

and  misery.  Then  -he  asked  his  master  for  some  money,  but 
this  was  the  answer:  "  You  shall  not  have  a  shilling  until 
you  have  made  the  knife." 

Thereupon  Niels  shut  himself  up  in  the  workshop  for  a 
whole  day,  and,  as  on  the  former  occasion,  the  knife  was  made 
without  his  knowing  how  it  had  happened. 

When  the  day  arrived  on  which  the  work  was  to  be  ex 
hibited,  Niels  dressed  himself  in  his  best  clothes,  and  went 
with  his  master  up  to  the  palace  where  the  two  kings  were 
expecting  them. 

The  strange  smith  first  showed  his  knife.  It  was  so  beau 
tiful,  and  so  curiously  wrought,  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to 
look  at;  it  was,  moreover,  so  sharp  and  well-tempered  that  it 
would  cut  through  a  millstone  as  easily  as  through  a  cheese, 
Niels's  knife,  on  the  contrary,  looked  very  poor  and  common. 

The  King  already  began  to  think  he  had  lost  his  wager, 
and  spoke  harshly  to  the  master-smith,  when  his  boy  begged 
leave  to  examine  the  stranger's  knife  a  little  more  closely. 

After  having  looked  at  it  for  some  time,  he  said :  "  This 
is  a  beautiful  piece  of  workmanship  which  you  have  made, 
and  shame  on  those  who  would  say  otherwise ;  but  my 
master  is,  nevertheless,  your  superior,  as  you  shall  soon  ex 
perience." 

Saying  this,  he  took  the  stranger's  knife  and  split  it  length 
wise  from  point  to  handle  with  his  own  knife  as  easily  as 
one  splits  a  twig  of  willow.  The  kings  could  scarcely  believe 
their  eyes,  and  the  consequence  was  that  Niels's  master  was 
declared  the  victor. 

When  Niels  asked  for  payment,  the  master  refused  to  give 
him  anything,  although  knowing  full  well  that  the  poor  boy 
only  wanted  the  money  to  help  his  father.  Upon  this  Niels 
grew  angry,  went  to  the  King,  and  told  who  it  was  that  had 
made  both  the  lock  and  the  knife.  The  master  was  then 
called,  but  he  denied  everything,  and  accused  Niels  of  being 
an  idle  boy,  whom  he  had  taken  into  service  out  of  charity 
and  compassion. 

"  We  shall  soon  find  out  the  truth  of  this  story,"  said  the 

[63] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

King,  who  sided  with  the  master.  "  Since  them  sayest  it  is 
thou  who  hast  made  this  wonderful  knife,  and  thy  master 
says  it  is  he  who  has  done  it,  I  will  adjudge  each  of  you  to 
make  a  sword  for  me  within  eight  days.  He  who  can  make 
the  most  perfect  one  shall  be  my  master-smith;  but  he  who 
loses  shall  forfeit  his  life." 

Niels  was  well  satisfied  with  this  agreement.  He  went  home, 
packed  up  all  his  things,  and  bade  his  master  farewell.  The 
smith  would  gladly  have  made  all  good  again,  but  Neils 
appeared  not  to  understand  him,  and  went  his  way.  He  en 
gaged  with  another  master,  and  began  cheerfully  to  work  on 
the  sword. 

When  the  appointed  day  arrived,  both  Niels  and  his  former 
master  met  at  the  palace,  and  the  master  produced  a  sword 
of  the  most  beautiful  workmanship  that  anyone  could  wish 
to  see.  It  was  inlaid  with  gold  and  set  with  precious  stones. 
The  King  was  greatly  delighted  with  it. 

"  Now,  little  Niels,"  said  he,  "  what  dost  thou  say  to  this 
sword?" 

"  It  is  not  so  badly  made  as  one  might  expect  from  such 
a  bungler,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Canst  thou  show  anything  like  it  ?  "  asked  the  King. 

"  I  believe  I  can,"  answered  Niels. 

"Well,  where  is  thy  sword?"  said  the  King. 

"  In  my  waistcoat  pocket,"  replied  Niels. 

Hereupon  there  was  a  general  laugh  which  was  increased 
when  they  saw  the  boy  take  a  little  packet  out  of  his  waist 
coat  pocket.  Niels  opened  the  paper  in  which  the  blade  was 
rolled  up  like  a  watch-spring.  "  Here  is  my  work,"  said  he. 
"  Will  you  just  cut  the  thread,  master?  " 

The  smith  did  it  willingly,  and  in  a  moment  the  blade 
straightened  out  and  struck  him  in  the  face. 

Niels  took  out  of  his  other  pocket  a  hilt  of  gold  and  screwed 
it  fast  to  the  blade;  then  he  presented  the  sword  to  the  King; 
and  all  present  were  obliged  to  confess  that  they  never  before 
had  seen  such  matchless  workmanship. 

Niels  was  declared  the  victor,  and  the  master  was  obliged 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

to  acknowledge  that  the  boy  had  made  both  the  lock  and 
the  knife. 

The  King  in  his  indignation  would  have  had  the  master 
put  to  death  if  the  boy  had  not  begged  for  mercy  on  the 
culprit. 

Niels  received  a  handsome  reward  from  the  King,  and 
from  that  day  all  the  work  from  the  palace  was  intrusted  to 
him.  He  took  his  old  father  to  reside  with  him,  and  lived 
in  comfort  and  happiness  till  his  death. 


"The    Clever    Prince 

XCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  youthful  Prince  who  was 
so  wonderfully  handsome  that  no  one  had  ever  seen 
his  like;  and  he  knew  this,  and  was  very  glad  of  it. 
And  everybody  said  that  he  was  as  clever  as  he  was  hand 
some,  and  that  no  one  could  be  compared  to  him.  Of  this 
he  was  quite  convinced,  and  he  made  a  solemn  vow  that  he 
would  never  take  any  woman  to  wife  unless  she  was  as  hand 
some  and  nearly  as  clever  as  he  was  himself.  If  he  could 
find  such  a  paragon  he  would  marry  her.  There  were  many 
beautiful  maidens  in  the  land,  but  they  were  not  the  clever 
est.  There  were  also  many  maidens  who  were  clever  enough, 
but  they  were  not  the  fairest.  This  much  is  certain,  the 
Prince  found  no  girl  who  combined  in  her  person  half  enough 
good  looks  and  wit  to  suit  him.  He  was  now  of  an  age  when 
he  and  his  father  the  King,  and  their  faithful  subjects,  were 
all  of  opinion  that  he  ought  to  get  married;  but,  as  we  have 
seen,  because  of  the  vow  he  had  made,  there  was  not  a 
maiden  in  the  land  to  whom  he  could  pay  his  addresses. 

So  he  determined  to  journey  to  other  countries,  and  to 
travel  incognito  and  unattended.  He  wanted  to  see  things 
for  himself,  and  to  have  no  one  with  him  who  could  reveal 
anything  about  him.  He  traveled  far  and  wide,  from  one 
land  to  another,  but  it  fared  with  him  abroad  as  it  had  fared 

[65] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

with  him  at  home;  he  could  find  no  girl  beautiful  or  clever 
enough  for  him,  much  less  could  he  find  one  who  could  lay 
claim  to  the  possession  of  both  these  attributes.  So  once 
more  he  felt  his  quest  for  a  worthy  bride  had  proved  vain, 
and  turned  his  face  homeward. 

One  day  he  was  riding  through  a  wood.  He  rode  and  rode, 
still  he  could  not  get  to  the  end  of  the  forest.  Noonday 
came,  and  the  evening  came,  and  still  he  was  in  the  wood, 
and  still  could  see  no  way  out  of  it.  He  had  completely  lost 
his  way;  he  had  no  idea  where  he  was,  nor  where  he  was 
going,  nor  where  he  should  find  shelter  for  the  night  and 
food  and  rest  for  himself  and  his  horse.  And  they  were  both 
tired  out.  At  last  he  saw  a  small  cloud  of  blue  smoke  rising 
amid  the  green  trees,  and  riding  toward  it  he  soon  came  to  a 
little  cottage,  very  poor  and  mean-looking.  But  he  was  glad 
enough,  for  here  at  least  he  should  find  somebody.  He  got 
off  his  horse  and  knocked  at  the  door.  A  poor  old  man 
opened  it,  and  a  poor  old  woman  also  came  forward.  They 
appeared  very  much  astonished  to  see  such  a  fine,  handsome 
young  knight.  The  Prince,  after  wishing  them  good  evening, 
said  that  he  had  lost  his  way,  and  that  he  had  been  riding 
through  the  wood  all  day  long  without  coming  to  a  dwell 
ing  of  any  kind,  and  now  he  begged  them  to  give  him  shelter 
for  the  night.  At  first  they  said  they  were  not  the  sort  of 
people  to  receive  such  grand  gentlefolk.  It  was  easy  to  see 
they  wanted  to  get  rid  of  him;  but  when  he  told  them  that 
neither  he  nor  his  horse  could  hold  out  any  longer,  so  greatly 
did  they  need  rest  and  a  night's  lodging,  the  old  couple  had 
not  the  heart  to  refuse,  so  they  agreed  to  take  him  in  if  he 
would  put  up  with  what  they  could  offer  him.  His  first  care 
was  for  his  horse.  Stable  there  was  none,  but  there  was  a 
bit  of  a  shed  for  the  old  people's  cow.  As  it  was  summer 
time  the  cow  was  out  to  grass,  so  the  Prince  put  his  horse  up 
in  the  shed,  and  gave  him  a  drink  of  water  and  a  bundle  of 
hay,  to  the  great  content  of  the  poor,  tired  beast.  Then  he 
went  into  the  cottage,  which  consisted  of  one  little  room, 
which  was  both  dark  and  low.  He  sat  down  on  a  wooden 

[66] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

bench  and  began  to  talk  to  the  old  people.  Did  they  live 
here  all  alone  in  the  wild  wood?  Yes,  the  old  folk  said,  they 
did.  There  was  nobody  else  in  the  house,  and  there  was  no 
other  house  for  miles  and  miles  around.  They  got  on  as  best 
they  could,  and  managed  to  make  a  living  out  of  their  goat 
and  their  cow. 

Then  the  Prince  had  his  supper,  the  best  the  house  could 
afford — a  crust  of  dry  bread  and  a  bowl  of  milk.  The  old 
folk  then  fetched  a  wisp  of  straw  and  spread  it  out  on  the 
floor,  intending  to  lie  upon  it — they  had  but  one  bed,  and 
they  meant  to  give  it  up  to  their  grand  guest.  But  the  Prince 
would  not  hear  of  such  a  thing;  they  should  sleep  in  their 
own  bed,  and  he  would  lie  on  the  bundle  of  straw  that  was 
spread  upon  the  floor.  So  it  was  arranged  as  he  wished,  and 
they  all  three  retired  to  rest.  It  was  quite  a  different  sort 
of  couch  from  the  one  he  was  accustomed  to,  but  he  was 
thoroughly  tired  out,  so  he  soon  fell  asleep,  and  he  dreamt 
of  all  the  beautiful  maidens  who  were  not  clever  enough, 
and  of  all  the  clever  maidens  who  were  not  beautiful  enough, 
and  so  he  slept  sweetly  till  the  day  began  to  dawn. 

Then  he  awoke,  and  stiff  enough  he  was  in  all  his  limbs 
from  lying  on  so  hard  a  bed ;  twist  and  turn  as  he  might,  he 
could  not  get  to  sleep  again.  Presently  he  heard  something 
stirring  in  the  little  loft  overhead.  It  might  be  rats  or  mice, 
or  perhaps  a  cat.  Yes,  it  was  certainly  a  cat.  But  a  little 
while  after  he  heard  a  whirring  sound,  exactly  like  a  spinning 
wheel.  Then  he  heard  singing.  That  could  not  be  the  cat, 
nor  was  it  the  song  of  the  birds  out  in  the  wood;  no,  it  was 
a  woman's  sweet  voice  keeping  time  with  the  whirring  of 
the  wheel.  So  sweet  a  song  he  had  never  heard  before.  He 
sprang  to  his  feet,  rubbed  his  eyes,  pricked  up  his  ears,  and 
at  the  same  moment  the  old  folk  got  up  too.  The  Prince 
at  once  asked  them  who  it  was  up  there  in  the  loft  that  had 
begun  spinning  and  singing  at  break  of  day.  All  was  quite 
quiet  again  overhead  now,  and  the  old  people  persisted,  as 
they  had  done  the  previous  night,  that  there  was  no  one  in 
the  house  but  themselves. 

[67] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

"  Nay,"  said  the  Prince,  "  it  is  no  use  trying  to  make  me 
believe  that.  I  prefer  believing  what  I  have  heard  with  my 
own  ears.  And  you  may  as  well  tell  me  the  plain  truth,  for 
I  am  determined  to  learn  it,  one  way  or  another." 

So  then  the  old  man  made  a  clean  breast  of  it.  The  Prince 
was  quite  right,  there  was  somebody  else  in  the  house — it 
was  their  daughter,  in  her  little  room  up  in  the  loft.  They 
were  so  afraid  lest  some  one  should  see  her  and  want  to  take 
her  away  from  them;  for,  indeed,  they  would  miss  her  sadly, 
old  and  feeble  as  they  were;  she  earned  a  few  pence  by 
her  spinning  and  weaving.  Who  else  was  there  to  take  care 
of  them?  Soon  they  would  be  no  longer  able  to  look  after 
themselves. 

Well,  the  Prince  said  he  had  heard  her,  and  now  he  wanted 
to  see  her.  He  was  no  man-eater,  nor  woman-eater  either, 
so  far  as  he  knew;  therefore  they  might  surely  let  him  see 
the  maiden.  So  the  old  man  had  to  go  and  call  her,  and  she 
came  running  down,  tripping  along,  clad  in  mean  attire,  so 
blithe  and  fresh  and  fair.  When  she  saw  the  handsome  young 
man,  she  blushed  rosy  red,  and  the  Prince  was  thunderstruck 
as  he  looked  on  her.  Never  had  he  seen  anything  half  so 
lovely  as  she  was!  He  was  utterly  at  a  loss  what  to  say  or 
do.  In  all  his  travels  he  had  seen  no  one  to  be  compared 
with  her.  This  poor  peasant's  daughter  was  far  more  beauti 
ful  than  all  the  princesses  and  grand  ladies  he  had  ever  met 
at  home  or  abroad.  He  could  not  picture  to  himself  any 
thing  more  lovely.  But  a  poor  beggar-maid,  such  as  she 
was,  he  might  not  even  dream  of  making  his  wife.  So  he 
turned  resolutely  away,  and  at  once  bestirred  himself,  getting 
his  horse  ready  to  start,  and  would  not  so  much  as  allow 
himself  to  look  at  her  again.  But  when  he  was  in  the  saddle, 
just  setting  off,  as  he  nodded  good-by  to  the  old  folk,  to 
whom  he  had  given  a  broad  gold  piece  for  his  night's  lodg 
ing,  and  who  now  were  bowing  and  scraping  before  him,  he 
could  not  help  giving -a  side  glance  to  where  she  stood  gaz 
ing  at  him  with  lovely,  wondering  eyes.  And  now,  of  course, 
he  was  obliged  to  lift  his  hat  and  bow  "  farewell " ;  and  as 

[68] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

she  returned  his  greeting  with  downcast  eyes,  and  bowed  and 
blushing  face,  the  Prince  felt  as  if  his  heart  were  in  his  mouth. 
The  lovely  eyes  looked  up  once  more  as  he  galloped  off, 
and  they  followed  him  till  he  was  out  of  sight.  And  not  only 
did  they  follow  him  thus  far,  but  long  after  he  had  left  both 
house  and  wood  far  behind  those  beautiful  eyes  still  haunted 
him.  And  as  he  rode  along  he  said  to  himself: 

"  Yes,  she  is  beautiful,  and  more  than  beautiful  enough  for 
me ;  but  I  also  vowed  that  she  whom  I  marry  must  be  as 
clever,  or  nearly  as  clever,  as  I  am,  and  that,  of  course,  she 
cannot  be." 

He  marked  well  where  the  little  cottage  stood,  and  soon 
he  reached  a  road  he  knew  well,  for  the  wild  wood  lay  on 
the  very  border  of  his  own  land.  He  rode  straight  home  to 
his  father's  castle,  and  told  him  he  had  not  yet  found  anyone 
who  could  be  considered  his  equal. 

The  old  King  was  much  vexed  on  hearing  this,  but  he  was 
so  certain  of  his  son's  exceeding  cleverness  that  he  had  no 
doubt  matters  were  exactly  as  the  Prince  represented.  He 
had  but  one  wish,  to  see  his  son  married  before  closing  his 
eyes  forever,  and  he  had  such  faith  in  his  son  that  he  knew 
the  Prince's  choice  of  a  wife  would  be  a  wise  one. 

So  now  the  Prince  was  at  home  once  more,  surrounded  by 
all  the  good  things  imaginable,  and  yet  he  knew  not  one 
moment's  content.  Dainty  food  failed  to  tempt  his  appetite, 
no  sweet  sleep  came  to  him  on  his  downy  couch.  His 
thoughts  were  always  with  the  fair  young  maiden  who  dwelt 
in  the  wild  wood.  He  thought  of  her  early  and  late,  and 
whether  he  would  or  not. 

At  last  he  said  to  himself:  "  There  must  be  an  end  of  this/' 

He  called  to  mind  his  vow  that  the  loveliest  and  cleverest 
girl  should  be  his  bride,  and  so  in  order  to  be  rid  of  all 
thought  of  her  he  determined  to  convince  himself  that  al 
though  the  peasant's  daughter  might  be  beautiful  enough,  yet 
she  was  far  from  being  clever  enough  for  him.  So  he  wrote 
a  letter  to  her,  enclosing  two  skeins  of  silk,  and  bidding  her 
weave  for  him  with  them  a  pair  of  bed  curtains.  He  sent 

[69] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

off  a  royal  courier  at  once,  bidding  him  bring  back  an  im 
mediate  answer.  The  messenger  returned  the  same  evening 
with  a  letter  from  the  woodland  maiden,  and  in  the  letter  lay 
two  tiny  splinters  of  wood.  The  maiden  had  written  that  if 
out  of  these  bits  of  wood  he  would  make  her  a  loom  she 
would  weave  him  the  curtains  he  had  ordered. 

After  this  the  Prince  could  no  longer  doubt  that  she  was 
quite  as  clever  as  he  was,  and  now  he  felt  bound  to  perform 
the  vow  that  he  had  made,  which  was  just  what  he  most 
wished  to  do.  So  he  rode  forth  with  all  his  royal  train  to 
the  cottage  in  the  wild  wood;  and  he  told  the  old  people  that 
he  had  come  to  woo  their  daughter  for  his  bride — if  she 
were  willing.  And  she  was  willing.  The  old  folk  were  very 
down-hearted  at  parting  from  their  child,  but  they  did  not 
wish  to  stand  in  the  way  of  her  happiness,  so  they  gave  their 
consent.  Then  the  court  ladies  clad  the  bride  in  scarlet 
and  silk  attire,  and  adorned  her  with  gold  and  jewels.  And 
she  had  ladies-in-waiting  and  coaches  and  carriages  and  all 
sorts  of  splendor,  and  the  wedding  was  celebrated  with  joy 
and  great  magnificence. 


"Lars,   my   Lad! 


rHERE  was  once  a  Prince  or  a  Duke,  or  something 
of  that  sort,  but  at  any  rate  he  belonged  to  a  very 
grand  family,  and  he  would  not  stop  at  home.  So 
he  traveled  all  over  the  world,  and  wherever  he  went  he 
was  well  liked,  and  was  received  in  the  best  and  gayest 
families,  for  he  had  no  end  of  money.  He  made  friends 
and  acquaintances,  as  you  may  imagine,  wherever  he  went, 
for  he  who  has  a  well-filled  trough  is  sure  to  fall  in  with 
pigs  who  want  to  have  their  fill.  But  he  went  on  spend 
ing  his  money  until  he  came  to  want,  and  at  last  his  purse 
became  so  empty  that  he  had  not  even  a  farthing  left.  And 
now  there  was  an  end  to  all  his  friends  as  well,  for  they 

[70] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

behaved  like  the  pigs;  when  the  trough  was  empty  and  he 
had  no  more  to  give  them,  they  began  to  grunt  and  grin, 
and  then  they  ran  away  in  all  directions.  There  he  stood 
alone  with  a  long  face.  Everybody  had  been  so  willing  to 
help  him  to  get  rid  of  his  money,  but  nobody  would  help 
him  without  it ;  and  so  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  trudge 
home  and  beg  for  crusts  on  the  way. 

So  late  one  evening  he  came  to  a  great  forest.  He  did 
not  know  where  he  should  find  a  shelter  for  the  night,  but 
he  went  on  looking  and  searching  till  he  caught  sight  of  an 
old  tumble-down  hut,  which  stood  in  the  middle  of  some 
bushes.  It  was  not  exactly  good  enough  for  such  a  fine 
cavalier,  but  when  you  cannot  get  what  you  want  you  must 
take  what  you  can  get.  And,  since  there  was  no  help  for 
it,  he  went  into  the  hut.  Not  a  living  soul  was  to  be  seen; 
there  was  not  even  a  stool  to  sit  upon,  but  alongside  the 
wall  stood  a  big  chest.  What  could  there  be  inside  that 
chest?  If  only  there  were  some  bits  of  moldy  bread  in  it! 
How  nice  they  would  taste!  For,  you  must  know,  he  had 
not  had  a  single  bit  of  food  the  whole  day,  and  he  was  so 
hungry  and  his  stomach  so  empty  that  it  groaned  with  pain. 
He  lifted  the  lid.  But  inside  the  chest  there  was  another 
chest,  and  inside  that  chest  there  was  another ;  and  so  it  went 
on,  each  one  smaller  than  the  other,  until  they  became  quite 
tiny  boxes.  The  more  there  were  the  harder  he  worked 
away,  for  there  must  be  something  very  fine  inside,  he 
thought,  since  it  was  so  well  hidden. 

At  last  he  came  to  a  tiny,  little  box,  and  in  this  box 
lay  a  bit  of  paper — and  that  was  all  he  got  for  his  trouble! 
It  was  very  annoying,  of  course,  but  then  he  discovered 
there  was  something  written  on  the  paper,  and  when  he 
looked  at  it  he  was  just  able  to  spell  it  out,  although  at  first 
it  looked  somewhat  difficult. 

"  Lars,  my  lad  !  " 

As  he  pronounced  these  words  something  answered  right 
in  his  ear : 

"What  are  master's  orders?" 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

He  looked  round,  but  he  saw  nobody.  This  was  very 
funny,  he  thought,  and  so  he  read  out  the  words  once  more : 

"  Lars,  my  lad !  " 

And  the  answer  came  as  before : 

"  What  are  master's  orders  ?  " 

But  he  did  not  see  anybody  this  time  either. 

"  If  there  is  anybody  about  who  hears  what  I  say,  then 
be  kind  enough  to  bring  me  something  to  eat,"  he  said.  And 
the  next  moment  there  stood  a  table  laid  out  with  all  the 
best  things  one  could  think  of.  He  set  to  work  to  eat 
and  drink,  and  had  a  proper  meal.  He  had  never  enjoyed 
himself  so  much  in  all  his  life,  he  thought. 

When  he  had  eaten  all  he  could  get  down,  he  began  to 
feel  sleepy,  and  so  he  took  out  the  paper  again: 

"  Lars,  my  lad !  " 

"What  are  master's  orders?" 

"  Well,  you  have  given  me  food  and  drink,  and  now  you 
must  get  me  a  bed  to  sleep  in  as  well.  But  I  want  a  really 
fine  bed,"  he  said,  for  you  must  know  he  was  a  little  more 
bold  now  that  his  hunger  was  stayed.  Well,  there  it  stood, 
a  bed  so  fine  and  dainty  that  even  the  King  himself  might 
covet  it.  Now  this  was  all  very  well  in  its  way,  but  when 
once  you  are  well  off  you  wish  for  still  more,  and  he  had  no 
sooner  got  into  bed  than  he  began  to  think  that  the  room 
was  altogether  too  wretched  for  such  a  grand  bed.  So  he 
took  out  the  paper  again: 

"Lars,  my  lad!" 

"  What  are  master's  orders?  " 

"  Since  you  are  able  to  get  me  such  food  and  such  a  bed 
here  in  the  midst  of  the  wild  forest,  I  suppose  you  can  manage 
to  get  me  a  better  room,  for  you  see  I  am  accustomed  to 
sleep  in  a  palace,  with  golden  mirrors  and  draped  walls  and 
ornaments  and  comforts  of  all  kinds,"  he  said.  Well,  he  had 
no  sooner  spoken  the  words  than  he  found  himself  lying 
in  the  grandest  chamber  anybody  had  ever  seen. 

Now  he  was  comfortable,  he  thought,  and  felt  quite  sat 
isfied  as  he  turned  his  face  to  the  wall  and  closed  his  eyes. 

[72] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

But  that  was  not  all  the  grandeur;  for  when  he  woke  up 
in  the  morning  and  looked  round,  he  saw  it  was  a  big 
palace  he  had  been  sleeping  in.  One  room  led  into  the  other, 
and  wherever  he  went  the  place  was  full  of  all  sorts  of  finery 
and  luxuries,  both  on  the  walls  and  on  the  ceilings,  and  they 
glittered  so  much  when  the  sun  shone  on  them  that  he  had 
to  shade  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  so  strong  was  the  glare 
of  gold  and  silver  wherever  he  turned.  He  then  happened 
to  look  out  of  the  window.  Good  gracious!  How  grand 
it  was!  There  was  something  else  than  pine  forests  and 
juniper  bushes  to  look  at,  for  there  was  the  finest  garden 
anyone  could  wish  for,  with  splendid  trees  and  roses  of  all 
kinds.  But  he  could  not  see  a  single  human  being,  or  even 
a  cat;  and  that,  you  know,  was  rather  lonely,  for  otherwise 
he  had  everything  so  grand  and  had  been  set  up  as  his  own 
master  again. 

So  he  took  out  the  bit  of  paper: 

"  Lars,  my  lad !  " 

"'  What  are  master's  orders  ?  " 

"  Well,  now  you  have  given  me  food  and  bed  and  a  palace 
to  live  in,  I  intend  to  remain  here,  for  I  like  the  place," 
he  said,  "  yet  I  don't  like  to  live  quite  by  myself.  I  must 
have  both  lads  and  lasses  whom  I  may  order  about  to  wait 
upon  me,"  he  said. 

And  there  they  were.  There  came  servants  and  stewards 
and  scullery  maids  and  chambermaids  of  all  sorts,  and  some 
came  bowing  and  some  curtseying.  So  now  the  Duke 
thought  he  was  really  satisfied. 

But  now  it  happened  that  there  was  a  large  palace  on 
the  other  side  of  the  forest,  and  there  the  King  lived  who 
owned  the  forest,  and  the  great,  big  fields  around  it.  As  he 
was  walking  up  and  down  in  his  room  he  happened  to  look 
out  through  the  window  and  saw  the  new  palace,  where  the 
golden  weathercocks  were  swinging  to  and  fro  on  the  roof 
in  the  sunlight,  dazzling  his  eyes. 

4  This  is  very  strange,"  he  thought ;  and  so  he  called  his  cour 
tiers.  They  came  rushing  in,  and  began  bowing  and  scraping. 

[73] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Do  you  see  the  palace  over  there  ?  "  said  the  King. 

They  opened  their  eyes  and  began  to  stare. 

Yes,  of  course,  they  saw  it. 

"  Who  is  it  that  has  dared  to  build  such  a  palace  on  my 
grounds  ?  "  said  the  King. 

They  bowed,  and  they  scraped  with  their  feet,  but  they  did 
not  know  anything  about  it. 

The  King  then  called  his  generals  and  captains. 

They  came,  stood  at  attention  and  presented  arms. 

"  Be  gone,  soldiers  and  troopers/'  said  the  King,  "  and 
pull  down  the  palace  over  there,  and  hang  him  who  has 
built  it ;  and  don't  lose  any  time  about  it ! " 

Well,  they  set  off  in  great  haste  to  arm  themselves,  and 
away  they  went.  The  drummers  beat  the  skins  of  their 
drums,  and  the  trumpeters  blew  their  trumpets,  and  the 
other  musicians  played  and  blew  as  best  they  could,  so  that 
the  Duke  heard  them  long  before  he  could  see  them.  But 
he  had  heard  that  kind  of  noise  before,  and  knew  what  it 
meant,  so  he  took  out  his  scrap  of  paper : 

"Lars,  my  lad!" 

"  What  are  master's  orders  ?  " 

"  There  are  soldiers  coming  here,"  he  said,  "  and  now  you 
must  provide  me  with  soldiers  and  horses,  that  I  may  have 
double  as  many  as  those  over  in  the  wood,  and  with  sabers 
and  pistols,  and  guns  and  cannons  with  all  that  belongs  to 
them ;  but  be  quick  about  it." 

And  no  time  was  lost;  for  when  the  Duke  looked  out,  he 
saw  an  immense  number  of  soldiers,  who  were  drawn  up 
around  the  palace. 

When  the  King's  men  arrived,  they  came  to  a  sudden  halt 
and  dared  not  advance.  But  the  Duke  was  not  afraid;  he 
went  straight  up  to  the  Colonel  of  the  King's  soldiers  and 
asked  him  what  he  wanted. 

The  Colonel  told  him  his  errand. 

"  It's  of  no  use,"  said  the  Duke.  "  You  see  how  many 
men  I  have;  and  if  the  King  will  listen  to  me,  we  shall  be 
come  good  friends,  and  I  will  help  him  against  his  enemies, 

[74] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  in  such  a  way  that  it  will  be  heard  of  far  and  wide," 
he  said. 

The  Colonel  was  of  the  same  opinion,  and  the  Duke  then 
invited  him  and  all  his  soldiers  inside  the  palace,  and  the 
men  had  more  than  one  glass  to  drink  and  plenty  of  every 
thing  to  eat  as  well. 

But  while  they  were  eating  and  drinking  they  began 
talking;  and  the  Duke  then  got  to  hear  that  the  King  had 
a  daughter  who  was  his  only  child,  and  was  so  wonderfully 
fair  and  beautiful  that  no  one  had  ever  seen  her  like  before. 
And  the  more  the  King's  soldiers  ate  and  drank  the  more 
they  thought  she  would  suit  the  Duke  for  a  wife. 

And  they  went  on  talking  so  long  that  the  Duke  at  last 
began  to  be  of  the  same  opinion.  "  The  worst  of  it,"  said 
the  soldiers,  "  is  that  she  is  just  as  proud  as  she  is  beau 
tiful,  and  will  never  look  at  a  man." 

But  the  Duke  laughed  at  this.  "  If  that's  all,"  said  the 
Duke,  "  there's  sure  to  be  a  remedy  for  that  complaint." 

When  the  soldiers  had  eaten  and  drunk  as  much  as  they 
could  find  room  for,  they  shouted  "  Hurrah ! "  so  that  it 
echoed  among  the  hills,  and  then  they  set  out  homeward. 
But,  as  you  may  imagine,  they  did  not  walk  exactly  in  parade 
order,  for  they  were  rather  unsteady  about  the  knees,  and 
many  of  them  did  not  carry  their  guns  in  regulation  manner. 
The  Duke  asked  them  to  greet  the  King  from  him.  He 
would  call  on  him  the  following  day,  he  said. 

When  the  Duke  was  alone  again,  he  began  to  think  of 
the  Princess,  and  to  wonder  if  she  were  as  beautiful  and 
fair  as  they  had  made  her  out  to  be.  He  would  like  to 
make  sure  of  it;  and  as  so  many  strange  things  had  hap 
pened  that  day  it  might  not  be  impossible  to  find  that 
out  as  well,  he  thought. 

"  Lars,  my  lad  !  " 

"  What  are  master's  orders  ?  " 

"  Well,  now  you  must  bring  me  the  King's  daughter  as 
soon  as  she  has  gone  to  sleep,"  he  said ;  "  but  she  must  not 
be  awakened  either  on  the  way  here  or  back.  Do  you  hear 

[75] 


THE   FAIRr   RING 

that  ? "  he  said.  And  before  long  the  Princess  was  lying 
on  the  bed.  She  slept  so  soundly  and  looked  so  wonder 
fully  beautiful  as  she  lay  there.  Yes,  she  was  as  sweet  as 
sugar,  I  can  tell  you. 

The  Duke  walked  round  about  her,  but  she  was  just  as 
beautiful  from  whatever  point  of  view  he  looked  at  her. 

The  more  he  looked  the  more  he  liked  her. 

"Lars,  my  lad!" 

"  What  are  master's  orders  ?  " 

"  You  must  now  carry  the  Princess  home,"  he  said,  "  for 
now  I  know  how  she  looks,  and  to-morrow  I  will  ask  for 
her  hand,"  he  said. 

Next  morning  the  King  looked  out  of  the  window.  "  I 
suppose  I  shall  not  be  troubled  with  the  sight  of  that  palace 
any  more,"  he  thought.  But,  zounds!  There  it  stood  just 
as  on  the  day  before,  and  the  sun  shone  so  brightly  on  the 
roof,  and  the  weathercocks  dazzled  his  eyes. 

He  now  became  furious,  and  called  all  his  men. 

They  came  quicker  than  usual. 

The  courtiers  bowed  and  scraped,  and  the  soldiers  stood 
at  attention  and  presented  arms. 

"  Do  you  see  the  palace  there  ?  "  screamed  the  King. 

They  stretched  their  necks,  and  stared  and  gaped. 

Yes,  of  course,  that  they  did. 

**  Have  I  not  ordered  you  to  pull  down  the  palace  and 
hang  the  builder  ?  "  he  said. 

Yes,  they  could  not  deny  that;  but  then  the  Colonel  him 
self  stepped  forward  and  reported  what  had  happened  and 
how  many  soldiers  the  Duke  had,  and  how  wonderfully 
grand  the  palace  was. 

And  next  he  told  him  what  the  Duke  had  said,  and  how 
he  had  asked  him  to  give  his  greetings  to  the  King,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing. 

The  King  felt  quite  confused,  and  had  to  put  his  crown 
on  the  table  and  scratch  his  head.  He  could  not  under 
stand  all  this,  although  he  was  a  king;  for  he  could  take  his 
oath  it  had  all  been  built  in  a  single  night;  and  if  the  Duke 

[76] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

were  not  the  evil  one  himself,  he  must  in  any  case  have 
done  it  by  magic. 

While  he  sat  there  pondering,  the  Princess  came  into  the 
room. 

"  Good  morning  to  you,  father !  "  she  said.  "  Just  fancy, 
I  had  such  a  strange  and  beautiful  dream  last  night ! "  she 
said. 

'*  What  did  you  dream  then,  my  girl  ?  "  said  the  King. 

"  I  dreamed  I  was  in  the  new  palace  over  yonder,  and  that 
I  saw  a  Duke  there,  so  fine  and  handsome  that  I  could  never 
have  imagined  the  like;  and  now  I  want  to  get  married, 
father,"  she  said. 

"  Do  you  want  to  get  married  ? — you,  who  never  cared  to 
look  at  a  man !  That's  very  strange !  "  said  the  King. 

"  That  may  be,"  said  the  Princess ;  "  but  it's  different  now, 
and  I  want  to  get  married,  and  it's  the  Duke  I  want,"  she 
said. 

The  King  was  quite  beside  himself,  so  frightened  did  he 
become  of  the  Duke. 

But  all  of  a  sudden  he  heard  a  terrible  noise  of  drums 
and  trumpets  and  instruments  of  all  kinds ;  and  then  came 
a  message  that  the  Duke  had  just  arrived  with  a  large 
company,  all  of  whom  were  so  grandly  dressed  that  gold  and 
silver  glistened  in  every  fold.  The  King  put  on  his  crown 
and  his  coronation  robes,  and  then  went  out  on  the  steps  to 
receive  them.  And  the  Princess  was  not  slow  to  follow  him. 

The  Duke  bowed  most  graciously,  and  the  King  of  course 
did  likewise,  and  when  they  had  talked  awhile  about  their 
affairs  and  their  grandeur  they  became  the  best  of  friends. 
A  great  banquet  was  then  prepared,  and  the  Duke  was 
placed  next  to  the  Princess  at  the  table.  What  they  talked 
about  is  not  easy  to  tell,  but  the  Duke  spoke  so  well  for 
himself  that  the  Princess  could  not  very  well  say  "  No  "  to 
anything  he  said,  and  then  he  went  up  to  the  King  and 
asked  for  her  hand.  The  King  could  not  exactly  say  "  No  " 
either,  for  he  could  very  well  see  that  the  Duke  was  a 
person  with  whom  it  was  best  to  be  on  friendly  terms;  but 

[77] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

give  his  sanction  there  and  then,  he  could  not  very  well  do 
that  either.  He  wanted  to  see  the  Duke's  palace  first,  and 
find  out  about  the  state  of  affairs  over  there,  as  you  may 
understand. 

So  it  was  arranged  that  he  should  visit  the  Duke  and  take 
the  Princess  with  him  to  see  his  palace;  and  with  this  they 
parted  company. 

When  the  Duke  returned  home,  Lars  became  busier  than 
ever,  for  there  was  so  much  to  attend  to.  But  he  set  to 
work  and  strove  hard ;  and  when  the  King  and  his  daughter 
arrived  everything  was  so  magnificent  and  splendid  that  no 
words  can  describe  it.  They  went  through  all  the  rooms 
and  looked  about,  and  they  found  everything  as  it  should 
be,  and  even  still  more  splendid,  thought  the  King,  and  so 
he  was  quite  pleased. 

The  wedding  then  took  place,  and  that  in  grand  style; 
and  on  the  Duke's  arrival  home  with  his  bride  he,  too,  gave 
a  great  feast,  and  then  there  was  an  end  to  the  festivities. 

Some  time  passed  by,  and  one  evening  the  Duke  heard 
these  words : 

"  Are  you  satisfied  now  ?  " 

It  was  Lars,  as  you  may  guess,  but  the  Duke  could  not 
see  him. 

"  Well,  I  ought  to  be,"  said  the  Duke.  "  You  have  pro 
vided  me  with  everything  I  have,"  he  said. 

"Yes,  but  what  have  I  got  in  return?"  asked  Lars. 

"  Nothing,"  said  the  Duke ;  "  but,  bless  me,  what  could 
I  have  given  you,  who  are  not  of  flesh  and  blood,  and 
whom  I  cannot  see  either  ? "  he  said.  "  But  if  there  is 
anything  I  can  do  for  you,  tell  me  what  it  is,  and  I  shall 
do  it." 

"  Well,  I  should  like  to  ask  you  for  that  little  scrap  of 
paper  which  you  found  in  the  chest,"  said  Lars. 

"Nothing  else?"  said  the  Duke.  "If  such  a  trifle  can 
help  you,  I  can  easily  do  without  it,  for  now  I  begin  to 
know  the  words  by  heart,"  he  said. 

Lars  thanked  the  Duke,  and  asked  him  to  put  the  paper 

[78] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

on  the  chair  in  front  of  the  bed  when  he  retired  to  rest, 
and  he  would  be  sure  to  fetch  it  during  the  night. 

The  Duke  did  as  he  was  told;  and  so  he  and  the  Princess 
lay  down  and  went  to  sleep. 

But  early  in  the  morning  the  Duke  awoke  and  felt  so 
cold  that  his  teeth  chattered,  and  when  he  had  got  his  eyes 
quite  open  he  found  he  was  quite  naked  and  had  not  even 
as  much  as  a  thread  on  his  back;  and  instead  of  the  grand 
bed  and  the  beautiful  bedroom,  and  the  magnificent  palace, 
he  lay  on  the  big  chest  in  the  old  tumble-down  hut. 

He  began  to  shout : 

"  Lars,  my  lad !  "  But  he  got  no  answer.  He  shouted 
once  more: 

"  Lars,  my  lad !  "  But  he  got  no  answer  this  time  either. 
So  he  shouted  all  he  could: 

"  Lars,  my  lad ! "     But  it  was  all  in  vain. 

Now  he  began  to  understand  how  matters  stood.  When 
Lars  had  got  the  scrap  of  paper  he  was  freed  from  service 
at  the  same  time,  and  now  he  had  taken  everything  with 
him.  But  there  was  no  help  for  it.  There  stood  the  Duke 
in  the  old  hut  quite  naked;  and  as  for  the  Princess  she  was 
not  much  better  off,  although  she  had  her  clothes  on,  for  she 
had  got  them  from  her  father,  so  Lars  had  no  power  over 
them. 

The  Duke  had  now  to  tell  the  Princess  everything,  and 
ask  her  to  leave  him.  He  would  have  to  manage  as  best 
he  could,  he  said.  But  she  would  not  hear  of  it.  She  well 
remembered  what  the  parson  had  said  when  he  married 
them,  and  she  would  never,  never  leave  him,  she  said. 

In  the  meantime  the  King  in  his  palace  had  also  awakened, 
and  when  he  looked  out  of  the  window  he  did  not  see  any 
sign  whatever  of  the  other  palace  where  his  daughter  and 
son-in-law  lived.  He  became  uneasy,  as  you  may  imagine, 
and  called  his  courtiers. 

They  came  in,  and  began  to  bow  and  scrape. 

"  Do  you  see  the  palace  over  yonder  behind  the  forest  ?  " 
he  asked. 

[79] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

They  stretched  their  necks  and  stared  with  all  their  might. 

No,  they  did  not  see  it. 

"  Where  has  it  gone  to,  then  ?  "  asked  the  King. 

Well,  really  they  did  not  know. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  King  set  out  with  all  his 
court  through  the  forest;  and  when  he  arrived  at  the  place 
where  the  palace  with  the  beautiful  gardens  should  have 
been,  he  could  not  see  anything  but  heather  and  juniper  bushes 
and  firs.  But  then  he  discovered  the  old  tumble-down  hut, 
which  stood  there  among  the  bushes.  He  entered  the  hut 
arid — mercy  on  us ! — what  a  sight  met  his  eyes !  There  stood 
his  son-in-law,  quite  naked,  and  his  daughter,  who  had  not 
very  many  clothes  on  either,  and  who  was  crying  and 
moaning. 

"  Dear,  dear !  what  does  all  this  mean  ?  "  said  the  King ; 
but  he  did  not  get  any  answer,  for  the  Duke  would  rather 
have  died  than  tell  him. 

The  King  did  his  utmost  to  get  him  to  speak;  but 
in  spite  of  all  the  King's  promises  and  threats  the  Duke 
remained  obstinate  and  would  not  utter  a  word. 

The  King  then  became  angry — and  no  wonder,  for  now 
he  could  see  that  this  grand  Duke  was  not  what  he  pre 
tended  to  be,  and  so  he  ordered  the  Duke  to  be  hanged,  and 
that  without  any  loss  of  time.  The  Princess  begged  and 
prayed  for  mercy ;  but  neither  prayers  nor  tears  were  of 
any  help  now;  for  an  impostor  he  was,  and  as  an  impostor 
he  should  die,  said  the  King. 

And  so  it  had  to  be.  They  erected  a  gallows,  and  placed 
the  rope  round  the  Duke's  neck.  But  while  they  were 
getting  the  gallows  ready,  the  Princess  got  hold  of  the  hang 
man,  and  gave  both  him  and  his  assistant  some  money,  that 
they  should  so  manage  the  hanging  of  the  Duke  that  he 
should  not  lose  his  life,  and  in  the  night  they  were  to  cu* 
him  down,  so  that  he  and  the  Princess  might  then  flee  the 
country.  And  that's  how  the  matter  was  arranged. 

In  the  meantime  they  had  strung  up  the  Duke,  and  the 
King  and  his  court  and  all  the  people  went  their  way. 

[80] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

The  Duke  was  now  in  great  straits.  He  had,  however, 
plenty  of  time  to  reflect  how  foolish  he  had  been  in  not 
saving  some  of  the  crumbs  when  he  was  living  in  plenty, 
and  how  unpardonably  stupid  he  had  been  in  letting  Lars 
have  the  scrap  of  paper.  This  vexed  him  more  than  all. 
If  only  he  had  it  again,  he  thought,  they  should  see  he  had 
been  gaining  some  sense  in  return  for  all  he  had  lost.  But 
it  is  of  little  use  snarling  if  you  haven't  got  any  teeth. 
"  Ah,  well,  well !  "  he  sighed,  and  so  he  dangled  his  legs, 
which  was  really  all  he  could  do. 

The  day  passed  slowly  and  tediously  for  him,  and  he  was 
not  at  all  displeased  when  he  saw  the  sun  setting  behind 
the  forest.  But  just  before  it  disappeared  he  heard  a  fear 
ful  shouting,  and  when  he  looked  down  the  hill,  he  saw 
seven  cartloads  of  worn-out  shoes,  a*id  on  the  top  of  the 
hindmost  cart  he  saw  a  little  old  man  in  gray  clothes  and 
with  a  red  pointed  cap  on  his  head.  His  face  was  like  that  of 
the  worst  scarecrow,  and  the  rest  of  him  was  not  very 
handsome  either. 

He  drove  straight  up  to  the  gallows,  and  when  he  ar 
rived  right  under  it  he  stopped  and  looked  up  at  the  Duke, 
and  then  burst  out  laughing,  the  ugly  old  fellow! 

"  How  stupid  you  were ! "  he  said ;  "  but  what  should 
the  fool  do  with  his  stupidity  if  he  did  not  make  use  of 
it?"  And  then  he  laughed  again.  "Yes,  there  you  are 
hanging  now,  and  here  am  I  carting  away  all  the  shoes  I 
have  worn  out  for  your  whims.  I  wonder  if  you  can  read 
what  is  written  on  this  bit  of  paper,  and  if  you  recognize 
it  ?  "  he  said  with  an  ugly  laugh,  holding  up  the  paper  be 
fore  the  Duke's  eyes. 

But  all  who  hang  are  not  dead,  and  this  time  it  was 
Lars  who  was  befooled. 

The  Duke  made  a  clutch,  and  snatched  the  paper  from 
him. 

"  Lars,  my  lad !  " 

"  What  are  master's  orders?  " 

"  Well,  you  must  cut  me  down  from  the  gallows  and  put 

[81] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  palace  and  all  the  rest  in  its  place  again,  exactly  as  it 
was  before,  and  when  the  night  has  set  in  you  must  bring 
back  the  Princess." 

All  went  merrily  as  in  a  dance,  and  before  long  every 
thing  was  in  its  place,  just  as  it  was  when  Lars  took  him 
self  off. 

When  the  King  awoke  the  next  morning  he  looked  out  of 
the  window,  as  was  his  custom,  and  there  stood  the  palace 
again,  with  the  weathercocks  glittering  so  beautifully  in  the 
sunshine.  He  called  his  courtiers,  and  they  came  and  began 
to  bow  and  scrape. 

They  stretched  their  necks  as  far  as  they  could,  and 
stared  and  gaped. 

"  Do  you  see  the  palace  over  there  ?  "  said  the  King. 

Yes,  of  course,  they  did. 

The  King  then  sent  for  the  Princess,  but  she  was  not 
to  be  found.  He  then  went  out  to  see  if  his  son-in-law  was 
still  hanging  on  the  gallows,  but  neither  son-in-law  nor  gal 
lows  was  to  be  seen. 

He  had  to  lift  off  his  crown  and  scratch  his  head.  But 
that  did  not  improve  matters;  he  could  not  make  head  or 
tail  of  either  one  thing  or  the  other.  He  set  off  at  once 
with  all  his  court  through  the  forest,  and  when  he  came 
to  the  place  where  the  palace  should  stand,  there  it  stood 
sure  enough.  The  gardens  and  the  roses  were  exactly  as 
they  used  to  be,  and  the  Duke's  people  were  to  be  seen 
everywhere  among  the  trees.  His  son-in-law  and  his  daugh 
ter  received  him  on  the  steps,  dressed  in  their  finest  clothes. 

"  Well,  I  never  saw  the  like  of  this,"  said  the  King  to 
himself;  he  could  scarcely  believe  his  own  eyes,  so  won 
derful  did  it  all  seem  to  him. 

"  God's  peace  be  with  you,  father,  and  welcome  here ! " 
said  the  Duke. 

The  King  stood  staring  at  him. 

"  Are  you  my  son-in-law  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Well,  I  suppose  I  am,"  said  the  Duke.  "Who  else 
should  I  be?" 

[82] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Did  I  not  order  you  to  be  hanged  yesterday  like  any 
common  thief  ?  "  said  the  King. 

"  I  think  you  must  have  been  bewitched  on  the  way,"  said 
the  Duke,  with  a  laugh.  "  Do  you  think  I  am  the  man  to 
let  myself  be  hanged?  Or  is  there  anyone  here  who  dares 
to  believe  it  ?  "  he  said,  and  looked  so  fiercely  at  the  cour 
tiers  that  they  felt  as  if  they  were  being  pierced  through  and 
through. 

They  bowed  and  scraped  and  cringed  before  him. 

Who  could  believe  such  a  thing?  Was  it  at  all 
likely? 

"  Well,  if  there  is  anyone  who  dares  to  say  the  King 
could  have  wished  me  such  evil,  let  him  speak  out,"  said 
the  Duke,  and  fixed  his  eyes  upon  them  still  more  fiercely 
than  before. 

They  went  on  bowing  and   scraping  and  cringing. 

How  could  anyone  dare  to  say  such  a  thing?  No,  they 
had  more  sense  than  that,  they  should  hope. 

The  King  did  not  know  what  to  believe,  for  when  he 
looked  at  the  Duke  he  thought  he  never  could  have  wished 
him  such  evil ;  but  still  he  was  not  quite  convinced. 

"  Did  I  not  come  here  yesterday,  and  was  not  the  whole 
palace  gone,  and  was  there  not  an  old  hut  in  its  place?  And 
did  not  I  go  into  that  hut,  and  did  not  you  stand  stark 
naked  right  before  my  eyes  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  wonder  the  King  can  talk  so,"  said  the  Duke.  "  I 
think  the  trolls  must  have  bewitched  your  eyes  in  the  forest 
and  made  you  quite  crazy ;  or  what  do  you  think  ?  "  he  said, 
and  turned  round  to  the  courtiers. 

They  bowed  and  bowed  till  their  backs  were  bent  double, 
and  agreed  with  everything  he  said,  there  could  be  no  mis 
take  about  that.  The  King  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  looked 
round  about  him. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  as  you  say,  then,"  he  said  to  the  Duke, 
"  and  it  is  well  I  have  got  back  my  proper  sight  and  have 
come  to  my  senses  again.  For  it  would  have  been  a  sin 
and  a  shame  if  I  had  let  you  be  hanged,"  he  said ;  and  so 

[83] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

he  was  happy  again,  and  nobody  thought  any  more  about 
the  matter. 

"  Once  bitten,  twice  shy,"  as  the  proverb  says ;  and  the 
Duke  now  took  upon  himself  to  manage  and  look  after  most 
of  his  affairs,  so  that  it  was  seldom  Lars  had  to  wear  out 
his  shoes.  The  King  soon  gave  the  Duke  half  the  kingdom 
into  the  bargain;  so  he  had  now  plenty  to  do,  and  people 
said  they  would  have  to  search  a  long  time  to  find  his  equal 
in  wise  and  just  ruling. 

Then  one  day  Lars  came  to  the  Duke,  looking  very  little 
better  than  the  first  time  he  had  seen  him;  but  he  was,  of 
course,  more  humble,  and  did  not  dare  to  giggle  and  make 
grimaces. 

"  You  do  not  want  my  help  any  longer,  now,"  he  said ; 
"  for  although  I  did  wear  out  my  shoes  at  first,  I  am  now 
unable  to  wear  out  a  single  pair,  and  my  feet  will  soon 
be  covered  all  over  with  moss.  So  I  thought  I  might  now 
get  my  leave  of  absence,  he  said. 

The  Duke  quite  agreed  with  him.  "  I  have  tried  to  spare 
you,  and  I  almost  think  I  could  do  without  you," 
he  said.  "  But  the  palace  and  all  the  rest  I  do  not 
want  to  lose,  for  such  a  clever  builder  as  you  I  shall  never 
get  again;  nor  do  I  ever  want  to  adorn  the  gallows  again, 
as  you  can  well  understand;  so  I  cannot  give  you  back  the 
paper  on  any  account,"  he  said. 

"  Well,  as  long  as  you  have  got  it,  I  need  not  fear,"  said 
Lars ;  "  but  if  anybody  else  should  get  hold  of  it  there  will 
be  nothing  but  running  and  trudging  about  again,  and  that's 
what  I  want  to  avoid ;  for  when  one  has  been  tramping  about 
for  a  thousand  years,  as  I  have  "done,  one  begins  to  get  tired 
of  it/'  he  said. 

But  they  went  on  talking,  and  at  last  they  agreed  that  the 
Duke  should  put  the  paper  in  the  box,  and  then  bury  it  seven 
ells  under  the  ground,  under  a  stone  fixed  in  the  earth.  They 
then  gave  mutual  thanks  for  the  time  they  had  spent  in  each 
other's  company,  and  so  they  parted. 

The  Duke  carried  out  his  part  of  the  agreement,  for  he 


THE    VAIRY   RING 

was  not  likely  to  want  to  change  it.  He  lived  happy  and  con 
tented  with  the  Princess,  and  they  had  both  sons  and  daugh 
ters.  When  the  King  died,  he  got  the  whole  of  the  kingdom, 
and  you  may  guess  he  was  none  the  worse  off  for  that;  and 
there  no  doubt  he  still  lives  and  reigns,  if  he  is  not  dead. 

But  as  for  that  box  with  the  scrap  of  paper  in  it,  there 
are  many  who  are  still  running  about  looking  for  it. 


TwigmuntuSy    Cowbelliantusy    Perchnosius 


upon  a  time  there  was  a  king  who  was  so  very 
learned  that  no  parson  in  the  whole  world  could  sur- 
pass  him  ;  in  fact,  he  was  so  learned  that  ordinary  folks 
could  hardly  understand  what  he  said,  nor  could  he  under 
stand  them  either.  But  in  order  to  have  some  one  to  talk 
with  he  procured  seven  wise  professors,  who  were  not  quite 
so  learned  as  himself,  but  who  were  just  able  to  interpret  his 
learned  sayings  so  that  people  could  apprehend  them,  and  who 
could  twist  and  turn  about  the  talk  of  ordinary  folk  so  that 
it  became  sufficiently  learned  and  complicated  for  the  King 
to  understand  it. 

The  King  had  no  son,  but  he  had  a  daughter,  and  in  order 
that  she  should  be  happily  married,  and  the  country  governed 
according  to  the  fundamental  principles  of  his  learning,  he 
issued  an  edict  that  he  who  was  so  learned  as  to  put  the  King 
and  his  professors  to  silence  should  have  his  daughter  and 
half  the  kingdom  there  and  then.  But  anyone  who  attempted 
the  task  and  did  not  succeed  should  lose  his  head  for  having 
dared  to  exchange  words  with  the  King. 

That  was  no  joke  ;  but  the  Princess  was  so  fair  and  beautiful 
that  it  was  no  joke  to  gaze  at  her  either.  And  the  King  did 
not  keep  her  caged  up,  for  anyone  who  wished  could  see  her. 

There  came  princes  and  counts  and  barons  and  parsons 
and  doctors  and  learned  persons  from  all  quarters  of  the 
world  ;  and  no  sooner  did  they  see  the  Princess  than  they  one 

[85] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  all  wanted  to  try  their  luck.  But,  however  learned  they 
were,  their  learning  never  proved  sufficient,  and  everyone  of 
them  lost  his  head. 

Over  in  a  corner  of  the  kingdom  there  lived  a  farmer  who 
had  a  son.  This  lad  was  not  stupid;  he  was  quick  of  appre 
hension  and  sharp-witted,  and  he  was  not  afraid  of  anything. 

When  the  King's  edict  came  to  this  out-of-the-way  place, 
and  the  parson  had  read  it  from  the  pulpit,  the  lad  wanted 
to  try  his  luck.  "  He  who  nothing  risks,  nothing  wins," 
thought  the  lad;  and  so  he  went  to  the  parson  and  told  him 
that  if  he  would  give  him  lessons  in  the  evenings,  he  would 
work  for  this  worship  in  the  daytime,  but  he  wanted  to  become 
so  learned  that  he  could  try  a  bout  with  the  King  and  his 
professors. 

"  Whoever  means  to  compete  with  them  must  be  able  to  do 
something  more  than  munch  bread,"  said  the  parson. 

"  That  may  be,"  said  the  lad ;  "  but  I'll  try  my  luck." 

The  parson  thought,  of  course,  that  he  was  mad ;  but  when 
he  could  get  such  a  clever  hand  to  work  for  him  only  for  his 
keep,  he  thought  he  could  not  very  well  say  no;  and  so  the 
lad  got  what  he  wanted. 

He  worked  for  the  parson  in  the  daytime,  and  the  parson 
read  with  him  in  the  evening ;  and  in  this  way  they  went  on 
for  some  time,  but  at  last  the  lad  grew  tired  of  his  books. 

"  I  am  not  going  to  sit  here  and  read  and  grind  away,  and 
lose  what  few  wits  I  have,"  he  said ;  "  and  it  won't  be  of  much 
help  either,  for  if  you  are  lucky  things  will  come  right  of 
themselves,  and  if  you  are  not  lucky  you'll  never  make  a  silk 
purse  out  of  a  sow's  ear." 

And  with  this  he  pitched  the  books  on  the  shelf  and  went 
his  way. 

All  at  once  he  came  to  a  large  forest,  where  the  trees  and 
the  bushes  were  so  thick  that  it  was  with  difficulty  he  could 
get  along.  While  he  was  thus  pushing  his  way  through,  he 
began  wondering  what  he  should  say  when  he  came  to  the 
king's  palace,  and  how  best  he  could  make  use  of  the  learn 
ing  he  had  picked  up  from  the  parson.  All  of  a  sudden  the 

[86] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

twig  of  a  tree  struck  him  across  his  mouth,  so  that  his  teeth 
rattled. 

"  That  is  Twigmuntus,"  he  said. 

A  little  while  after  he  came  to  a  meadow  where  a  cow  was 
standing  bellowing  so  furiously  that  it  almost  deafened  him. 

"  That  is  Cowbelliantus,"  he  said. 

He  then  came  to  a  river;  but  as  there  was  neither  bridge 
nor  planks  across  it,  he  had  to  put  his  clothes  on  his  head 
and  swim  across. 

While  he  was  swimming  a  perch  came  and  bit  him  on  the 
nose. 

"  That  is  Perchnosius,"  he  said. 

At  last  he  came  to  the  King's  palace,  where  things  did  not 
look  at  all  pleasant,  for  there  were  men's  heads  stuck  on  long 
stakes  round  about,  and  they  grinned  so  horribly  that  they 
were  enough  to  frighten  anyone  out  of  his  wits.  But  the  lad 
was  not  easily  frightened. 

"  God's  peace !  "  he  said,  and  raised  his  cap.  "  There  you 
stick  and  grin  at  me ;  but  who  knows  if  I  may  not  be  keeping 
you  company  before  the  day  is  over,  and  be  grinning  with  you 
at  others?  But  if  I  happen  to  be  alive,  you  shall  not  stick 
there  any  longer  gaping  at  people,"  he  said. 

So  he  went  up  to  the  palace  and  knocked  at  the  gate. 

The  guard  came  out  and  asked  what  he  wanted. 

"  I  have  come  to  try  my  luck  with  the  Princess,"  said 
the  lad. 

"  You  ?  "  said  the  guard,  "  well,  you're  a  likely  one,  you  are ! 
Have  you  lost  your  senses?  There  have  been  princes  and 
counts  and  barons  and  parsons  and  doctors  and  learned  per 
sons  here,  and  all  of  them  have  had  to  pay  with  their  heads  for 
that  pleasure ;  and  yet  you  think  you'll  succeed ! "  he  said. 

"  I  should  say  it  is  no  concern  of  yours,"  said  the  lad ;  "  just 
open  the  gate,  and  you'll  see  one  who's  not  afraid  of  anything." 

But  the  guard  would  not  let  him  in. 

"Do  as  I  tell  you,"  said  the  lad,  "or  there'll  be  a  fine 
to-do!" 

But  the  guard  would  not. 

[87] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

The  lad  then  seized  him  by  the  collar  and  flung  him  against 
the  wall  so  that  it  creaked;  and  then  he  walked  straight  in 
to  the  King,  who  sat  in  his  parlor  with  his  seven  professors 
about  him.  Their  faces  were  long  and  thin,  and  they  looked 
like  puny,  sickly  persons  about  to  die.  They  were  sitting  with 
their  heads  on  one  side,  meditating  and  staring  at  the  floor. 

Then  one  of  them,  who  looked  up,  asked  the  lad  in  ordinary 
language :  "  Who  are  you  ?  " 

"  A  suitor,"  said  the  lad. 

"  Do  you  want  to  try  for  the  Princess's  hand  ?  " 

"  Well,  that's  about  it !  "  said  the  lad. 

"  Have  you  lost  your  wits  ?  There  have  been  princes  and 
counts  and  barons  and  parsons  and  doctors  and  learned  per 
sons  here,  and  all  of  them  have  gone  headless  away;  so  you 
had  better  turn  about  and  get  away  while  your  head  is  on 
your  shoulders,"  he  said. 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself  on  that  account,  but  rather  think 
of  the  head  on  your  own  shoulders,"  said  the  lad.  "  You 
look  after  yours,  and  I'll  take  care  of  mine!  So  just  begin, 
and  let  me  hear  how  much  wit  you  have  got,  for  I  don't  think 
you  look  so  very  clever,"  he  said. 

The  first  professor  then  began  a  long  harangue  of  gibberish ; 
and  when  he  had  finished  the  second  went  on;  and  then  the 
third ;  and  in  this  way  they  continued  till  at  length  it  was  the 
turn  of  the  seventh.  The  lad  did  not  understand  a  single  word 
of  it  all,  but  he  didn't  lose  courage  for  all  that.  He  only 
nodded  his  approval  to  all  of  it. 

When  the  last  had  finished  his  harangue  he  asked : 

"  Can  you  reply  to  that  ?  " 

"  That's  easy  enough,"  said  the  lad.  "  Why,  when  I  was  in 
my  cradle  and  in  my  go-cart  I  could  twist  my  mouth  about 
and  prate  and  jabber  like  you,"  he  said.  "  But  since  you  are 
so  terribly  learned,  I'll  put  a  question  to  you,  and  that  shall 
not  be  a  long  one : 

"  Twigmuntus,  Cowbelliantus,  Perchnosius  ?  Can  you  give 
me  an  answer  to  that  ?  " 

And  now  you  should  have  seen  how  they  stretched  their 

[88] 


THE    FAIRT    RING 

necks  and  strained  their  ears.  They  put  on  their  spectacles 
and  began  to  look  into  their  books  and  turn  over  the  leaves. 

But  while  they  were  searching  and  meditating,  the  lad  put 
his  hands  in  his  trousers  pockets,  and  looked  so  frank  and 
fearless  that  they  could  not  help  admiring  him,  and  wonder 
ing  that  one  who  was  so  young  could  be  so  learned  and  yet 
look  just  like  other  people. 

"  Well,  how  are  you  getting  on  ?  "  said  the  lad.  "  Cannot 
all  your  learning  help  you  to  open  your  mouths,  so  that  I  can 
have  an  answer  to  my  question  ?  "  he  said. 

Then  they  began  to  ponder  and  meditate,  and  then  they 
glanced  at  the  ceiling,  and  then  they  stared  at  the  walls,  and 
then  they  fixed  their  eyes  upon  the  floor.  But  they  could  not 
give  him  any  answer,  nor  could  the  King  himself,  although  he 
was  much  more  learned  than  all  the  others  together.  They 
had  to  give  it  up,  and  the  lad  got  the  Princess  and  half  the 
kingdom.  This  he  ruled  in  his  own  way,  and  if  it  did  not  fare 
better,  it  did  not  fare  worse  for  him  than  for  the  King  with 
all  his  fundamental  principles. 


Master    Tobacco 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  poor  woman  who  went 
about  begging  with  her  son;  for  at  home  she  had 
neither  a  morsel  to  eat  nor  a  stick  to  burn.  First  she 
tried  the  country,  and  went  from  parish  to  parish ;  but  it  was 
poor  work,  and  so  she  came  into  the  town.  There  she  went 
about  from  house  to  house  for  a  while,  and  at  last  she  came 
to  the  Lord  Mayor.  He  was  both  open-hearted  and  open- 
handed,  and  he  was  married  to  the  daughter  of  the  richest 
merchant  in  the  town,  and  they  had  one  little  daughter.  As 
they  had  no  more  children,  you  may  fancy  she  was  sugar  and 
spice  and  all  that's  nice,  and  in  a  word  there  was  nothing  too 
good  for  her.  This  little  girl  soon  c?ime  to  know  the  beggar 
boy  as  he  went  about  with  his  mother ;  and  as  the  Lord  Mayor 

[89] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

was  a  wise  man,  as  soon  as  he  saw  what  friends  the  two  were, 
he  took  the  boy  into  his  house  that  he  might  be  his  daugh 
ter's  playmate.  Yes,  they  played  and  read  and  went  to  school 
together,  and  never  had  so  much  as  one  quarrel. 

One  day  the  Lady  Mayoress  stood  at  the  window,  and 
watched  the  children  as  they  were  trudging  off  to  school. 
There  had  been  a  shower  of  rain,  and  the  street  was  flooded, 
and  she  saw  how  the  boy  first  carried  the  basket  with  their 
dinner  over  the  stream,  and  then  he  went  back  and  lifted  the 
little  girl  over,  and  when  he  set  her  down  he  gave  her  a  kiss. 

When  the  Lady  Mayoress  saw  this,  she  got  very  angry. 
"  To  think  of  such  a  ragamuffin  kissing  our  daughter — we 
who  are  the  best  people  in  the  place ! "  That  was  what  she 
said.  Her  husband  did  his  best  to  stop  her  tongue.  "  No 
one  knew,"  he  said,  "  how  children  would  turn  out  in  life, 
or  what  might  befall  his  own.  The  boy  was  a  clever,  handy 
lad,  and  often  and  often  a  great  tree  sprang  from  a  slender 
plant." 

But  no!  it  was  all  the  same,  whatever  he  said  and  which 
ever  way  he  put  it.  The  Lady  Mayoress  held  her  own,  and 
said  beggars  on  horseback  always  rode  their  cattle  to  death, 
and  that  no  one  had  ever  heard  of  a  silk  purse  being  made  out 
of  a  sow's  ear;  adding,  that  a  penny  would  never  turn  into 
a  shilling,  even  though  it  glittered  like  a  guinea.  The  end  of 
it  all  was  that  the  poor  lad  was  turned  out  of  the  house,  and 
had  to  pack  up  his  rags  and  be  off. 

When  the  Lord  Mayor  saw  there  was  no  help  for  it,  he 
sent  him  away  with  a  trader  who  had  come  thither  with  a 
ship,  and  he  was  to  be  cabin  boy  on  board  her.  He  told  his 
wife  he  had  sold  the  boy  for  a  roll  of  tobacco. 

But  before  he  went  the  Lord  Mayor's  daughter  broke  her 
ring  into  two  bits  and  gave  the  boy  one  bit,  that  it  might  be 
a  token  to  know  him  by  if  they  ever  met  again ;  and  so  the 
ship  sailed  away,  and  the  lad  came  to  a  town,  far,  far  off  in 
the  world,  and  to  that  town  a  priest  had  just  come  who  was  so 
good  a  preacher  that  everyone  went  to  church  to  hear  him, 
and  the  crew  of  the  ship  went  with  the  rest  the  Sunday  after 

[90] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

to  hear  the  sermon.  As  for  the  lad,  he  was  left  behind  to 
mind  the  ship  and  to  cook  the  dinner.  So  while  he  was  hard 
at  work  he  heard  some  one  calling  out  across  the  water  on 
an  island.  So  he  took  the  boat  and  rowed  across,  and  there 
he  saw  an  old  hag,  who  called  and  roared. 

"  Aye,"  she  said,  "  you  have  come  at  last !  Here  have  I 
stood  a  hundred  years  calling  and  bawling,  and  thinking  how 
I  should  ever  get  over  this  water ;  but  no  one  has  ever  heard 
or  heeded  but  you,  and  you  shall  be  well  paid  if  you  will  put 
me  over  to  the  other  side." 

So  the  lad  had  to  row  her  to  her  sister's  house,  who  lived 
on  a  hill  on  the  other  side  close  by ;  and  when  they  got  there, 
she  told  him  to  beg  for  the  old  tablecloth  which  lay  on  the 
dresser.  Yes!  he  would  beg  for  it;  and  when  the  old 
witch  who  lived  there  knew  that  he  had  helped  her  sister 
over  the  water,  she  said  he  might  have  whatever  he  chose  to 
ask. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  boy,  "  then  I  won't  have  anything  else  than 
that  old  tablecloth  on  the  dresser  yonder." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  old  witch,  "  that  you  never  asked  out  of  your 
own  wits." 

"  Now  I  must  be  off,"  said  the  lad,  "  to  cook  the  Sunday 
dinner  for  the  church-goers." 

"  Never  mind  that,"  said  the  first  old  hag ;  "  it  will  cook 
itself  while  you  are  away.  Stop  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  you 
better  still.  Here  have  I  stood  and  called  and  bawled  for  a 
hundred  years,  but  no  one  has  ever  heeded  me  but  you." 

The  end  was  he  had  to  go  with  her  to  another  sister,  and 
when  he  got  there  the  old  hag  said  he  was  to  be  sure  and  ask 
for  the  old  sword,  which  was  such  that  he  could  put  it  into 
his  pocket  and  it  became  a  knife,  and  when  he  drew  it  out  it 
was  a  long  sword  again.  One  edge  was  black  and  the  other 
white,  and  if  he  smote  with  the  black  edge  everything  fell  dead, 
and  if  with  the  white  everything  came  to  life  again.  So  when 
they  came  over,  and  the  second  old  witch  heard  how  he  had 
helped  her  sister  across,  she  said  he  might  have  anything  he 
chose  to  ask  for  her  fare. 

[91] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Oh,"  said  the  lad,  "  then  I  will  have  nothing  else  but  that 
old  sword  which  hangs  up  over  the  cupboard." 

"  That  you  never  asked  out  of  your  own  wits,"  said  the  old 
witch ;  but  for  all  that  he  got  the  sword. 

Then  the  old  hag  said  again :  "  Come  on  with  me  to  my 
third  sister.  Here  have  I  stood  and  called  and  bawled  for  a 
hundred  years,  and  no  one  has  heeded  me  but  you.  Come  on 
to  my  third  sister,  and  you  shall  have  better  pay  still." 

So  he  went  with  her,  and  on  the  way  she  told  him  he  was 
to  ask  for  the  old  hymn  book ;  and  that  was  such  a  book  that 
when  anyone  was  sick  and  the  nurse  sang  one  of  the  hymns, 
the  sickness  passed  away,  and  they  were  well  again.  Well! 
when  they  got  across,  and  the  third  old  witch  heard  he  had 
helped  her  sister  across,  she  said  he  was  to  have  whatever  he 
chose  to  ask  for  his  fare. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  lad,  "  then  I  won't  have  anything  else  but 
granny's  old  hymn  book." 

"That,"  said  the  old  hag,  "you  never  asked  out  of  your 
own  wits." 

When  he  got  back  to  the  ship  the  crew  were  still  at  church, 
so  he  tried  his  tablecloth,  and  spread  just  a  little  bit  of  it  out, 
for  he  wanted  to  see  what  good  it  was  before  he  laid  it  on 
the  table.  Yes !  in  a  trice  it  was  covered  with  good  food  and 
strong  drink,  enough  and  to  spare.  So  he  just  took  a  little 
snack,  and  then  he  gave  the  ship's  dog  as  much  as  it  could  eat. 

When  the  church-goers  came  on  board,  the  captain  said : 
"  Wherever  did  you  get  all  that  food  for  the  dog  ?  Why, 
he's  as  round  as  a  sausage,  and  as  lazy  as  a  snail." 

"  Oh,  if  you  must  know,"  said  the  lad,  "  I  gave  him  the 
bones." 

"  Good  boy,"  said  the  captain,  "  to  think  of  the  dog." 

So  he  spread  out  the  cloth,  and  at  once  the  whole  table  was 
covered  all  over  with  such  brave  meat  and  drink  as  they  had 
never  before  seen  in  all  their  born  days. 

Now  when  the  boy  was  again  alone  with  the  dog,  he  wanted 
to  try  the  sword,  so  he  smote  at  the  dog  with  the  black  edge, 
and  it  fell  dead  on  the  deck ;  but  when  he  turned  the  blade  and 

[92.] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

smote  with  the  white  edge  the  dog  came  to  life  again  and 
wagged  his  tail  and  fawned  on  his  playmate.  But  the  book — 
that  he  could  not  get  tried  just  then. 

Then  they  sailed  well  and  far  till  a  storm  overtook  them 
which  lasted  many  days,  so  they  lay  to  and  drove  till  they 
were  quite  out  of  their  course,  and  could  not  tell  where  they 
were.  At  last  the  wind  fell,  and  then  they  came  to  a  country 
far,  far  off  that  none  of  them  knew ;  but  they  could  easily  see 
there  was  great  grief  there,  as  well  there  might  be,  for  the 
King's  daughter  was  a  leper.  The  King  came  down  to  the 
shore,  and  asked  was  there  anyone  on  board  who  could  cure 
her  and  make  her  well  again. 

"  No,  there  was  not."  That  was  what  they  all  said  who 
were  on  deck. 

"  Is  there  no  one  else  on  board  the  ship  than  those  I  see?  " 
asked  the  King. 

"  Yes ;  there's  a  little  beggar  boy." 

"  Well,"  said  the  King,  "  let  him  come  on  deck." 

So  when  he  came  and  heard  what  the  King  wanted,  he  said 
he  thought  he  might  cure  her;  and  then  the  captain  got  so 
wroth  and  mad  with  rage  that  he  ran  round  and  round  like 
a  squirrel  in  a  cage,  for  he  thought  the  boy  was  only  putting 
himself  forward  to  do  something  in  which  he  was  sure  to  fail, 
and  he  told  the  King  not  to  listen  to  such  childish  chatter. 

But  the  King  only  said  that  wit  came  as  children  grew,  and 
that  there  was  the  making  of  a  man  in  every  bairn.  The  boy 
had  said  he  could  do  it,  and  he  might  as  well  try.  After 
all,  there  were  many  who  had  tried  and  failed  before  him. 
So  he  took  him  home  to  his  daughter,  and  the  lad  sang  a 
hymn  once.  Then  the  Princess  could  lift  her  arm.  Once 
again  he  sang  it,  and  she  could  sit  up  in  bed.  And  when  he 
had  sung  it  thrice,  the  King's  daughter  was  as  well  as  you 
and  I  are. 

The  King  was  so  glad  he  wanted  to  give  him  half  his  king 
dom  and  the  princess  to  wife. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  lad,  "  land  and  power  are  fine  things  to 
have  half  of,"  and  was  very  grateful ;  "  but  as  for  the  Prin- 

[93] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

cess,  he  was  betrothed  to  another,"  he  said,  "  and  he  could  not 
take  her  to  wife." 

So  he  stayed  there  awhile  and  got  half  the  kingdom;  and 
when  he  had  not  been  very  long  there,  war  broke  out,  and 
the  lad  went  out  to  battle  with  the  rest,  and  you  may  fancy 
he  did  not  spare  the  black  edge  of  his  sword.  The  enemy's 
soldiers  fell  before  him  like  flies,  and  the  King  won  the  day. 
But  when  they  had  conquered,  he  turned  the  white  edge,  and 
they  all  rose  up  alive  and  became  the  King's  soldiers,  who  haH 
granted  them  their  lives.  But  then  there  were  so  many  of 
them  that  they  were  badly  off  for  food,  though  the  King 
wished  to  send  them  away  full,  both  of  meat  and  drink.  So 
the  lad  had  to  bring  out  his  tablecloth,  and  then  there  was  not 
a  man  that  lacked  anything. 

Now  when  he  had  lived  a  little  longer  with  the  King,  he 
began  to  long  to  see  the  Lord  Mayor's  daughter.  So  he  fitted 
out  four  ships  of  war  and  set  sail ;  and  when  he  came  off  the 
town  where  the  Lord  Mayor  lived,  he  fired  off  his  cannon  like 
thunder,  till  half  the  panes  of  glass  in  the  town  were  shiv 
ered.  On  board  those  ships  everything  was  as  grand  as  in  a 
King's  palace ;  and  as  for  himself,  he  had  gold  on  every  seam 
of  his  coat,  so  fine  he  was.  It  was  not  long  before  the  Lord 
Mayor  came  down  to  the  shore  and  asked  if  the  foreign  lord 
would  not  be  so  good  as  to  come  up  and  dine  with  him.  "  Yes, 
he  would  go,"  he  said;  and  so  he  went  up  to  the  Mansion 
House  where  the  Lord  Mayor  lived,  and  there  he  took  his  seat 
between  the  Lady  Mayoress  and  her  daughter. 

So  as  they  sat  there  in  the  greatest  state,  and  ate  and  drank 
and  were  merry,  he  threw  the  half  of  the  ring  into  the  daugh 
ter's  glass,  and  no  one  saw  it ;  but  she  was  not  slow  to  find  out 
what  he  meant,  and  excused  herself  from  the  feast  and  went 
out  and  fitted  his  half  to  her  half.  Her  mother  saw  there  was 
something  in  the  wind  and  hurried  after  her  as  fast  as  she 
could. 

"  Do  you  know  who  that  is  in  there,  mother  ? "  said  the 
daughter. 

"  No !  "  said  the  Lady  Mayoress. 

[94] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  He  whom  papa  sold  for  a  roll  of  tobacco/'  said  the  daugh 
ter. 

At  these  words  the  Lady  Mayoress  fainted  and  fell  down 
flat  on  the  floor. 

In  a  little  while  the  Lord  Mayor  came  out  to  see  what  was 
the  matter,  and  when  he  heard  how  things  stood  he  was 
almost  as  uneasy  as  his  wife. 

"  There  is  nothing  to  make  a  fuss  about,"  said  Master  To 
bacco.  "  I  have  only  come  to  claim  the  little  girl  I  kissed  as 
we  were  going  to  school." 

But  to  the  Lady  Mayoress  he  said : 

"  You  should  never  despise  the  children  of  the  poor  and 
needy,  for  none  can  tell  how  they  may  turn  out ;  since  there  is 
the  making  of  a  man  in  every  child  of  man,  and  wit  and  wis 
dom  come  with  growth  and  strength." 


The   History    of  Tom    Thumb 

/N  the  days  of  the  great  Prince  Arthur  there  lived  a 
mighty  magician,  called  Merlin,  the  most  learned  and 
skillful  enchanter  the  world  has  ever  seen. 

This  famous  magician,  who  could  take  any  form  he  pleased, 
was  traveling  about  as  a  poor  beggar,  and  being  very  tired, 
he  stopped  at  the  cottage  of  a  plowman  to  rest  himself,  and 
asked  for  some  food. 

The  countryman  bade  him  welcome,  and  his  wife,  who  was 
a  very  good-hearted  woman,  soon  brought  him  some  milk  in 
a  wooden  bowl,  and  some  coarse  brown  bread  on  a  platter. 

Merlin  was  much  pleased  with  the  kindness  of  the  plowman 
and  his  wife  ;  but  he  could  not  help  noticing  that  though  every 
thing  was  neat  and  comfortable  in  the  cottage,  they  both 
seemed  to  be  very  unhappy.  He  therefore  asked  them  why 
they  were  so  melancholy,  and  learned  that  they  were  miser 
able  because  they  had  no  children. 

The  poor  woman  said,  with  tears  in  her  eyes :  "  I  should  be 

[95] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  happiest  creature  in  the  world  if  I  had  a  son;  although 
he  was  no  bigger  than  my  husband's  thumb,  I  would  be  sat 
isfied." 

Merlin  was  so  much  amused  with  the  idea  of  a  boy  no 
bigger  than  a  man's  thumb  that  he  determined  to  grant  the 
poor  woman's  wish.  Accordingly,  in  a  short  time  after,  the 
plowman's  wife  had  a  son,  who,  wonderful  to  relate,  was  not 
a  bit  bigger  than  his  father's  thumb! 

The  queen  of  the  fairies,  wishing  to  see  the  little  fellow, 
came  in  at  the  window  while  the  mother  was  sitting  up  in  the 
bed  admiring  him.  The  queen  kissed  the  child,  and,  giving  it 
the  name  of  Tom  Thumb,  sent  for  some  of  the  fairies,  who 
dressed  her  little  godson  according  to  her  orders : 

An  oak-leaf  hat  he  had  for  his  crown; 
His  shirt  of  web  by  spiders  spun, 
With  jacket  wove  of  thistle's  down. 
His  trousers  were  of  feathers  done ; 
His  stockings,  of  apple-rind,  they  tie 
With  eyelash  from  his  mother's  eye ; 
His  shoes  were  made  of  mouse's  skin, 
Tann'd  with  the  downy  hair  within. 

Tom  never  grew  any  larger  than  his  father's  thumb,  which 
was  only  of  ordinary  size;  but  as  he  got  older  he  became 
very  cunning  and  full  of  tricks.  When  he  was  old  enough  to 
play  with  the  boys,  and  had  lost  all  his  own  cherry  stones, 
he  used  to  creep  into  the  bags  of  his  playfellows,  fill  his  pockets, 
and,  getting  out  without  their  noticing  him,  would  again  join 
in  the  game. 

One  day,  however,  as  he  was  coming  out  of  a  bag  of 
cherry  stones,  where  he  had  been  stealing  as  usual,  the  boy 
to  whom  it  belonged  chanced  to  see  him.  "  Ah,  ah !  my  little 
Tommy,"  said  the  boy,  "  so  I  have  caught  you  stealing  my 
cherry  stones  at  last,  and  you  shall  be  rewarded  for  your 
thievish  tricks."  On  saying  this,  he  drew  the  string  tight 
round  his  neck,  and  gave  the  bag  such  a  hearty  shake  that 
poor  little  Tom's  legs,  thighs,  and  body  were  sadly  bruised. 

[96] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

He  roared  loud  with  pain,  and  begged  to  be  let  out,  promising 
never  to  steal  again. 

A  short  time  afterwards  his  mother  was  making  a  batter- 
pudding,  and  Tom,  being  very  anxious  to  see  how  it  was  made, 
climbed  up  to  the  edge  of  the  bowl ;  but  his  foot  slipped,  and 
he  plumped  over  head  and  ears  into  the  batter,  without  his 
mother  noticing  him,  who  stirred  him  into  the  pudding-bag, 
and  put  him  in  the  pot  to  boil. 

The  batter  filled  Tom's  mouth  and  prevented  him  from  cry 
ing;  but,  on  feeling  the  hot  water,  he  kicked  and  struggled 
so  much  in  the  pot  that  his  mother  thought  that  the  pudding 
was  bewitched,  and,  pulling  it  out  of  the  pot,  she  threw  it  out 
side  the  door.  A  poor  tinker,  who  was  passing  by,  lifted  up  the 
pudding,  and,  then  putting  it  into  his  budget,  walked  off. 
As  Tom  had  now  got  his  mouth  cleared  of  the  batter,  he  then 
began  to  cry  aloud,  which  so  frightened  the  tinker  that  he 
flung  down  the  pudding  and  ran  away.  The  pudding  being 
broken  to  pieces  by  the  fall,  Tom  crept  out,  covered  all  over 
with  the  batter,  and  walked  home.  His  mother,  who  was  very 
sorry  to  see  her  darling  in  such  a  woeful  state,  put  him  into  a 
teacup  and  soon  washed  off  the  batter ;  after  which  she  kissed 
him,  and  laid  him  in  bed. 

Soon  after  the  adventure  of  the  pudding,  Tom's  mother 
went  to  milk  her  cow  in  the  meadow,  and  she  took  him  along 
with  her.  As  the  wind  was  very  high,  for  fear  of  being  blown 
away,  she  tied  him  to  a  thistle  with  a  piece  of  fine  thread.  The 
cow  soon  observed  Tom's  oak-leaf  hat,  and  liking  the  appear 
ance  of  it,  took  poor  Tom  and  the  thistle  at  one  mouthful. 
While  the  cow  was  chewing  the  thistle,  Tom  was  afraid  of 
her  great  teeth,  which  threatened  to  crush  him  in  pieces,  and 
he  roared  out  as  loud  as  he  could :  "  Mother,  mother ! " 

"  Where  are  you,  Tommy,  my  dear  Tommy  ? "  said  his 
mother. 

"  Here,  mother,"  replied  he,  "  in  the  red  cow's  mouth." 

His  mother  began  to  cry  and  wring  her  hands ;  but  the  cow, 
surprised  at  the  odd  noise  in  her  throat,  opened  her  mouth 
and  let  Tom  drop  out.  Fortunately  his  mother  caught  him 

[97] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

in  her  apron  as  he  was  falling  to  the  ground,  or  he  would  have 
been  dreadfully  hurt.  She  then  put  Tom  in  her  bosom  and 
ran  home  with  him. 

Tom's  father  made  him  a  whip  of  a  barley  straw  to  drive 
the  cattle  with,  and  having  one  day  gone  into  the  fields,  Tom 
slipped  a  foot  and  rolled  into  the  furrow.  A  raven,  which 
was  flying  over,  picked  him  up,  and  flew  with  him  over  the 
sea,  and  there  dropped  him. 

A  large  fish  swallowed  Tom  the  moment  he  fell  into  the 
sea,  which  was  soon  after  caught  and  bought  for  the  table  of 
King  Arthur.  When  they  opened  the  fish  in  order  to  cook  it, 
everyone  was  astonished  at  finding  such  a  little  boy,  and  Tom 
was  quite  delighted  at  being  free  again.  They  carried  him 
to  the  King,  who  made  Tom  his  dwarf,  and  he  soon  grew  a 
great  favorite  at  court;  for  by  his  tricks  and  gambols  he  not 
only  amused  the  King  and  Queen,  but  also  all  the  Knights  of 
the  Round  Table. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  King  rode  out  on  horseback  he 
often  took  Tom  along  with  him,  and  if  a  shower  came  on 
he  used  to  creep  into  his  majesty's  waistcoat  pocket,  where  he 
slept  till  the  rain  was  over. 

King  Arthur  one  day  asked  Tom  about  his  parents,  wish 
ing  to  know  if  they  were  as  small  as  he  was,  and  whether 
they  were  well  off.  Tom  told  the  King  that  his  father  and 
mother  were  as  tall  as  anybody  about  the  court,  but  in 
rather  poor  circumstances.  On  hearing  this  the  King  carried 
Tom  to  his  treasury,  the  place  where  he  kept  all  his  money, 
and  told  him  to  take  as  much  money  as  he  could  carry 
home  to  his  parents,  which  made  the  poor  little  fellow  caper 
with  joy.  Tom  went  immediately  to  procure  a  purse,  which 
was  made  of  a  water  bubble,  and  then  returned  to  the  treas 
ury,  where  he  received  a  silver  threepenny-piece  to  put 
into  it. 

Our  little  hero  had  some  difficulty  in  lifting  the  burden  upon 
his  back;  but  he  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  it  placed  to  his 
mind,  and  set  forward  on  his  journey.  However,  without 
meeting  with  any  accident,  and  after  resting  himself  more 

[98] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

than  a  hundred  times  by  the  way,  in  two  days  and  two  nights 
he  reached  his  father's  house  in  safety. 

Tom  had  traveled  forty-eight  hours  with  a  huge  silver-piece 
on  his  back,  and  was  almost  tired  to  death,  when  his  mother 
ran  out  to  meet  him,  and  carried  him  into  the  house.  But  he 
soon  returned  to  court. 

As  Tom's  clothes  had  suffered  much  in  the  batter-pudding 
and  the  inside  of  the  fish,  his  majesty  ordered  him  a  new  suit 
of  clothes  and  to  be  mounted  as  a  knight  on  a  mouse. 

Of  butterfly's  wings  his  shirt  was  made, 

His  boots  of  chicken's  hide; 
And  by  a  nimble  fairy  blade, 
Well  learned  in  the  tailoring  trade, 

His  clothing  was  supplied. 

A  needle  dangled  by  his  side ; 

A  dapper  mouse  he  used  to  ride, 

Thus  strutted  Tom  in  stately  pride! 

It  was  certainly  very  diverting  to  see  Tom  in  this  dress  and 
mounted  on  the  mouse  as  he  rode  out  a-hunting  with  the  King 
and  nobility,  who  were  all  ready  to  expire  with  laughter  at 
Tom  and  his  fine  prancing  charger. 

The  King  was  so  charmed  with  his  address  that  he  ordered 
a  little  chair  to  be  made,  in  order  that  Tom  might  sit  upon  his 
table,  and  also  a  palace  of  gold,  a  span  high,  with  a  door  an 
inch  wide,  to  live  in.  He  also  gave  him  a  coach,  drawn  by 
six  small  mice. 

The  Queen  was  so  enraged  at  the  honors  conferred  on  Sir 
Thomas  that  she  resolved  to  ruin  him,  and  told  the  King  that 
the  little  knight  had  been  saucy  to  her. 

The  King  sent  for  Tom  in  great  haste,  but  being  fully  aware 
of  the  danger  of  royal  anger,  he  crept  into  an  empty  snail 
shell,  where  he  lay  for  a  long  time,  until  he  was  almost  starved 
with  hunger ;  but  at  last  he  ventured  to  peep  out,  and  seeing  a 
fine  large  butterfly  on  the  ground  near  the  place  of  his  con 
cealment,  he  got  close  to  it,  and  jumping  astride  on  it  was 
carried  up  into  the  air.  The  butterfly  flew  with  him  from  tree 

[99] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

to  tree  and  from  field  to  field,  and  at  last  returned  to  the  court, 
where  the  King  and  nobility  all  strove  to  catch  him;  but  at 
last  poor  Tom  fell  from  his  seat  into  a  watering  pot,  in  which 
he  was  almost  drowned. 

When  the  Queen  saw  him  she  was  in  a  rage,  and  said  he 
should  be  beheaded ;  and  he  was  again  put  into  a  mouse  trap 
until  the  time  of  his  execution. 

However,  a  cat,  observing  something  alive  in  the  trap,  patted 
it  about  till  the  wires  broke,  and  set  Thomas  at  liberty. 

The  King  received  Tom  again  into  favor,  which  he  did  not 
live  to  enjoy,  for  a  large  spider  one  day  attacked  him;  and 
although  he  drew  his  sword  and  fought  well,  yet  the  spider's 
poisonous  breath  at  last  overcame  him. 

He  fell  dead  on  the  ground  where  he  stood, 
And  the  spider  suck'd  every  drop  of  his  blood. 

King  Arthur  and  his  whole  court  were  so  sorry  at  the  loss 
of  their  little  favorite  that  they  went  into  mourning  and  raised 
a  fine  white  marble  monument  over  his  grave  with  the  follow 
ing  epitaph: 

Here  lies  Tom  Thumb,  King  Arthur's  knight, 
Who  died  by  a  spider's  cruel  bite. 
He  was  well  known  in  Arthur's  court, 
Where  he  afforded  ga  llant  sport ; 
He  rode  a  tilt  and  tournament, 
And  on  a  mouse  a-hunting  went. 
Alive  he  filled  the  court  with  mirth ; 
His  death  to  sorrow  soon  gave  birth. 
Wipe,  wipe  your  eyes,  and  shake  your  head 
And  cry, — Alas!  Tom  Thumb  is  dead! 


[100] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 
Tattercoats 

/N  a  great  palace  by  the  sea  there  ot/ce  dw<ilt' a  very*  j\ch 
old  lord  who  had  neither  wife' nor  cfilkfrcn  living,  only 
one  little  granddaughter,  whose  face  he  had  never  seen 
in  all  her  life.  He  hated  her  bitterly,  because  at  her  birth  his 
favorite  daughter  died ;  and  when  the  old  nurse  brought  him 
the  baby  he  swore  that  it  might  live  or  die  as  it  liked,  but  he 
"would  never  look  on  its  face  as  long  as  it  lived. 

So  he  turned  his  back  and  sat  by  his  window  looking  out 
over  the  sea,  and  weeping  great  tears  for  his  lost  daughter, 
till  his  white  hair  and  beard  grew  down  over  his  shoulders  and 
twined  round  his  chair  and  crept  into  the  chinks  of  the  floor, 
and  his  tears,  dropping  on  to  the  window  ledge,  wore  a  channel 
through  the  stone  and  ran  away  in  a  little  river  to  the  great 
sea.  And  meanwhile  his  granddaughter  grew  up  with  no  one 
to  care  for  her  or  clothe  her ;  only  the  old  nurse,  when  no  one 
was  by,  would  sometimes  give  her  a  dish  of  scraps  from  the 
kitchen  or  a  torn  petticoat  from  the  rag  bag ;  while  the  other 
servants  of  the  palace  would  drive  her  from  the  house  with 
blows  and  mocking  words,  calling  her  "  Tattercoats,"  and 
pointing  at  her  bare  feet  and  shoulders,  till  she  ran  away  cry 
ing,  to  hide  among  the  bushes. 

And  so  she  grew  up,  with  little  to  eat  or  wear,  spending 
her  days  in  the  fields  and  lanes,  with  only  the  gooseherd  for 
a  companion,  who  would  play  to  her  so  merrily  on  his  little 
pipe  when  she  was  hungry  or  cold  or  tired  that  she  forgot  all 
her  troubles,  and  fell  to  dancing,  with  his  flock  of  noisy  geese 
for  partners. 

But  one  day  people  told  each  other  that  the  King  was  trav 
eling  through  the  land,  and  in  the  town  near  by  was  to  give  a 
great  ball  to  all  the  lords  and  ladies  of  the  country,  when  the 
Prince,  his  only  son,  was  to  choose  a  wife. 

One  of  the  royal  invitations  was  brought  to  the  palace 
by  the  sea,  and  the  servants  carried  it  up  to  the  old  lord 
who  still  sat  by  his  window,  wrapped  in  his  long  white 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

hair  and  weeping  into  the  little  river  that  was  fed  by  his 
tears*"  » 

But 'when  he  heafd  the  King's  command  he  dried  his  eyes 
$nxl'bac«e'T;h£m~br  ing  -shears  to  cut  him  loose,  for  his  hair  had 
bound 'him*  a  fast  prisoner  and  he  could  not  move.  And  then 
he  sent  them  for  rich  clothes  and  jewels,  which  he  put  on;  and 
he  ordered  them  to  saddle  the  white  horse  with  gold  and  silk 
that  he  might  ride  to  meet  the  King. 

Meanwhile  Tattercoats  had  heard  of  the  great  doings  in  the 
town,  and  she  sat  by  the  kitchen  door  weeping  because  she 
could  not  go  to  see  them.  And  when  the  old  nurse  heard  her 
crying  she  went  to  the  lord  of  the  palace,  and  begged  him  to 
take  his  granddaughter  with  him  to  the  King's  ball. 

But  he  only  frowned  and  told  her  to  be  silent,  while  the 
servants  laughed  and  said :  "  Tattercoats  is  happy  in  her  rags, 
playing  with  the  gooseherd ;  let  her  be — it  is  all  she  is  fit  for." 

A  second,  and  then  a  third  time,  the  old  nurse  begged  him 
to  let  the  girl  go  with  him,  but  she  was  answered  only  by  black 
looks  and  fierce  words,  till  she  was  driven  from  the  room  by 
the  jeering  servants  with  blows  and  mocking  words. 

Weeping  over  her  ill  success,  the  old  nurse  went  to  look  for 
Tattercoats;  but  the  girl  had  been  turned  from  the  door  by 
the  cook,  and  had  run  away  to  tell  her  friend  the  gooseherd 
how  unhappy  she  was  because  she  could  not  go  to  the  King's 
ball. 

But  when  the  gooseherd  had  listened  to  her  story  he  bade 
her  cheer  up,  and  proposed  that  they  should  go  together  into 
the  town  to  see  the  King  and  all  the  fine  things;  and  when 
she  looked  sorrowfully  down  at  her  rags  and  bare  feet  he 
played  a  note  or  two  upon  his  pipe,  so  gay  and  merry  that 
she  forgot  all  about  her  tears  and  her  troubles,  and,  before  she 
well  knew,  the  herdboy  had  taken  her  by  the  hand,  and  she 
and  he,  and  the  geese  before  them,  were  dancing  down  the 
road  toward  the  town. 

Before  they  had  gone  very  far  a  handsome  young  man, 
splendidly  dressed,  rode  up  and  stopped  to  ask  the  way  to  the 
castle  where  the  King  was  staying;  and  when  he  found  that 


THE    FAIRT  RING 

they  too  were  going  thither,  he  got  off  his  horse  and  walked 
beside  them  along  the  road. 

The  herdboy  pulled  out  his  pipe  and  played  a  low,  sweet 
tune,  and  the  stranger  looked  again  and  again  at  Tattercoats' 
lovely  face,  till  he  fell  deeply  in  love  with  her  and  begged  her 
to  marry  him. 

But  she  only  laughed  and  shook  her  golden  head. 

"  You  would  be  finely  put  to  shame  if  you  had  a  goosegirl 
for  your  wife!  "  said  she;  "  go  and  ask  one  of  the  great  ladies 
you  will  see  to-night  at  the  King's  ball,  and  do  not  flout  poor 
Tattercoats." 

But  the  more  she  refused  him  the  sweeter  the  pipe  played 
and  the  deeper  the  young  man  fell  in  love,  till  at  last  he  begged 
her,  as  a  proof  of  his  sincerity,  to  come  that  night  at  twelve 
to  the  King's  ball,  just  as  she  was,  with  the  herdboy  and  his 
geese,  and  in  her  torn  petticoat  and  bare  feet,  and  he  would 
dance  with  her  before  the  King  and  the  lords  and  ladies,  and 
present  her  to  them  all  as  his  dear  and  honored  bride. 

So  when  night  came,  and  the  hall  in  the  castle  was  full  of 
light  and  music,  and  the  lords  and  ladies  were  dancing  before 
the  King,  just  as  the  clock  struck  twelve,  Tattercoats  and  the 
herdboy,  followed  by  his  flock  of  noisy  geese,  entered  at  the 
great  doors  and  walked  straight  up  the  ballroom,  while  on 
either  side  the  ladies  whispered,  the  lords  laughed,  and  the 
King,  seated  at  the  far  end,  stared  in  amazement. 

But  as  they  came  in  front  of  the  throne  Tattercoats'  lover 
rose  from  beside  the  King  and  came  to  meet  her.  Taking  her 
by  the  hand,  he  kissed  her  thrice  before  them  all,  and  turned 
to  the  King. 

"  Father,"  he  said,  for  it  was  the  Prince  himself,  "  I  have 
made  my  choice,  and  here  is  my  bride,  the  loveliest  girl  in  all 
the  land,  and  the  sweetest  as  well !  " 

Before  he  had  finished  speaking  the  herdboy  put  his  pipe 
to  his  lips  and  played  a  few  low  notes  that  sounded  like  a  bird 
singing  far  off  in  the  woods;  and  as  he  played,  Tattercoats' 
rags  were  changed  to  shining  robes  sewn  with  glittering  jewels, 
a  golden  crown  lay  upon  her  golden  hair,  and  the  flock  of 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

geese  behind  her  became  a  crowd  of  dainty  pages  bearing  her 
long  train. 

And,  as  the  King  rose  to  greet  her  as  his  daughter,  the 
trumpets  sounded  loudly  in  honor  of  the  new  Princess,  and 
the  people  outside  in  the  street  said  to  each  other: 

"  Ah,  now  the  Prince  has  chosen  for  his  wife  the  loveliest 
girl  in  all  the  land !  " 

But  the  gooseherd  was  never  seen  again,  and  no  one  knew 
what  became  of  him ;  while  the  old  lord  went  home  once  more 
to  his  palace  by  the  sea,  for  he  could  not  stay  at  court  when 
he  had  sworn  never  to  look  on  his  granddaughter's  face. 

So  there  he  still  sits  by  his  window,  if  you  could  only  see 
him,  as  you  some  day  may,  weeping  more  bitterly  than  ever, 
as  he  looks  out  over  the  sea. 


History    of  Jack   the    Giant- Killer 

/N  the  reign  of  the  famous  King  Arthur  there  lived  in 
Cornwall  a  lad  named  Jack,  who  was  a  boy  of  a  bold 
temper  and  took  delight  in  hearing  or  reading  of  con 
jurers,  giants,  and  fairies,  and  used  to  listen  eagerly  to  the 
deeds  of  the  Knights  of  King  Arthur's  Round  Table. 

In  those  days  there  lived  on  St.  Michael's  Mount,  off  Corn 
wall,  a  huge  giant,  eighteen  feet  high  and  nine  feet  round, 
and  whose  fierce  and  savage  looks  were  the  terror  of  all  who 
beheld  him. 

He  dwelt  in  a  gloomy  cavern  on  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
and  used  to  wade  over  to  the  mainland  in  search  of  prey, 
when  he  would  throw  half  a  dozen  oxen  upon  his  back,  tie 
three  times  as  many  sheep  and  hogs  around  his  waist,  and 
march  back  to  his  own  abode. 

The  giant  had  done  this  for  many  years,  when  Jack  re 
solved  to  destroy  him. 

Jack  took  a  horn,  a  shovel,  a  pickax,  his  armor,  and  a 
dark  lantern,  and  one  winter's  evening  he  went  to  the  mount. 

[  104] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

There  he  dug  a  pit  twenty-two  feet  deep  and  twenty  broad. 
He  covered  the  top  over  so  as  to  make  it  look  like  solid 
ground.  He  then  blew  such  a  tantivy  that  the  giant  awoke 
and  came  out  of  his  den,  with  a  cry :  "  You  saucy  villain, 
you  shall  pay  for  this!  I'll  broil  you  for  my  breakfast!" 

He  had  just  finished,  when,  taking  one  step  farther,  he 
tumbled  headlong  into  the  pit,  and  Jack  struck  him  a  blow 
on  the  head  with  his  pickax  that  killed  him.  Jack  then 
returned  home  to  cheer  his  friends  with  the  news. 

Another  giant,  called  Blunderbore,  vowed  to  be  revenged 
on  Jack  if  ever  he  should  have  him  in  his  power.  This  giant 
kept  an  enchanted  castle  in  the  midst  of  a  lonely  wood,  and 
some  time  after  the  death  of  Cormoran,  Jack  was  passing 
through  a  wood,  and  being  weary  sat  down  and  went  to 
sleep. 

The  giant,  passing  by  and  seeing  Jack,  carried  him  to  his 
castle,  where  he  locked  him  up  in  a  large  room,  the  floor 
of  which  was  covered  with  the  bodies,  skulls,  and  bones  of 
men  and  women. 

Soon  after  the  giant  went  to  fetch  his  brother,  who  was 
likewise  a  giant,  to  take  a  meal  off  his  flesh,  and  Jack  saw 
with  terror  through  the  bars  of  his  prison  the  two  giants 
approaching. 

Jack,  perceiving  in  one  corner  of  the  room  a  strong  cord, 
took  courage,  and  making  a  slipknot  at  each  end,  he  threw 
them  over  their  heads  and  tied  it  to  the  window  bars ;  he  then 
pulled  till  he  had  choked  them.  When  they  were  black  in 
the  face  he  slid  down  the  rope  and  quickly  disposed  of  them. 

Jack  next  took  a  great  bunch  of  keys  from  the  pocket  of 
Blunderbore  and  went  into  the  castle  again.  He  made  a 
strict  search  through  all  the  rooms,  and  in  one  of  them  found 
three  ladies  tied  up  by  the  hair  of  their  heads  and  almost 
starved  to  death.  They  told  him  that  their  husbands  had 
been  killed  by  the  giants,  who  had  then  condemned  them  to 
be  starved  to  death,  because  they  would  not  eat  the  flesh 
of  the  captives  he  brought  in. 

"  Ladies,"  said  Jack,  "  I  have  put  an  end  to  the  monster 

[105] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  his  wicked  brother,  and  I  give  you  this  castle  and  all 
the  riches  it  contains,  to  make  some  amends  for  the  dread 
ful  pains  you  have  felt."  He  then  very  politely  gave  them 
the  keys  of  the  castle  and  went  farther  on  his  journey  to 
Wales. 

As  Jack  had  but  little  money  he  went  on  as  fast  as  pos 
sible.  At  length  he  came  to  a  handsome  house.  Jack 
knocked  at  the  door,  when  there  came  forth  a  Welsh  giant. 
Jack  said  he  was  a  traveler  who  had  lost  his  way,  on  which 
the  giant  made  him  welcome  and  let  him  into  a  room  where 
there  was  a  good  bed  to  sleep  in. 

Jack  took  off  his  clothes  quickly,  but  though  he  was  weary 
he  could  not  go  to  sleep.  Soon  after  this  he  heard  the 
giant  walking  backward  and  forward  in  the  next  room  and 
saying  to  himself : 

"  Though  here  you  lodge  with  me  this  night, 
You  shall  not  see  the  morning  light ; 
My  club  shall  dash  your  brains  out  quite." 

"  Say  you  so  ?  "  thought  Jack.  "  Are  these  your  tricks 
upon  travelers?  But  I  hope  to  prove  as  cunning  as  you 
are."  Then,  getting  out  of  bed,  he  groped  about  the  room, 
and  at  last  found  a  large  thick  billet  of  wood.  He  laid  it 
in  his  own  place  in  the  bed  and  then  hid  himself  in  a  dark 
corner  of  the  room. 

The  giant,  about  midnight,  entered  the  apartment,  and 
with  his  bludgeon  struck  many  blows  on  the  bed,  in  the 
very  place  where  Jack  had  laid  the  log;  and  then  he  went 
back  to  his  own  room,  thinking  he  had  broken  all  Jack's 
bones. 

Early  in  the  morning  Jack  put  a  bold  face  upon  the 
matter  and  walked  into  the  giant's  room  to  thank  him  for  his 
lodging.  The  giant  started  when  he  saw  him  and  began 
to  stammer  out :  "  Oh,  dear  me !  Is  it  you  ?  Pray  how  did 
you  sleep  last  night?  Did  you  hear  or  see  anything  in  the 
dead  of  the  night  ?  " 

"  Nothing  worth  speaking  of,"  said  Jack  carelessly.  "  A 

[106] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

rat,  I  believe,  gave  me  three  or  four  slaps  with  its  tail  and 
disturbed  me  a  little,  but  I  soon  went  to  sleep  again." 

The  giant  wondered  more  and  more  at  this,  yet  he  did 
not  answer  a  word,  but  went  to  bring  two  great  bowls  of 
hasty  pudding  for  their  breakfast.  Jack  wanted  to  make  the 
giant  believe  that  he  could  eat  as  much  as  himself,  so  he 
contrived  to  button  a  leathern  bag  inside  his  coat  and  slip 
the  hasty  pudding  into  this  bag,  while  he  seemed  to  put  it 
into  his  mouth. 

When  breakfast  was  over  he  said  to  the  giant :  "  Now  I 
will  show  you  a  fine  trick.  I  can  cure  all  wounds  with  a 
touch.  I  could  cut  off  my  head  in  one  minute  and  the  next 
put  it  sound  again  on  my  shoulders.  You  shall  see  an 
example."  He  then  took  hold  of  the  knife,  ripped  up  the 
leathern  bag,  and  all  the  hasty  pudding  tumbled  out  upon  the 
floor. 

"  Ods  splutter  hur  nails !  "  cried  the  Welsh  giant,  who  was 
ashamed  to  be  outdone  by  such  a  little  fellow  as  Jack,  "  hur 
can  do  that  hurself."  So  he  snatched  up  the  knife,  plunged 
it  into  his  own  stomach,  and  in  a  moment  dropped  down 
dead. 

Jack,  having  hitherto  been  successful  in  all  his  under 
takings,  resolved  not  to  be  idle  in  future.  He  therefore 
furnished  himself  with  a  horse,  a  cap  of  knowledge,  a  sword 
of  sharpness,  shoes  of  swiftness,  and  an  invisible  coat,  the 
better  to  perform  the  wonderful  enterprises  that  lay  before 
him. 

He  traveled  over  high  hills,  and  on  the  third  day  he  came 
to  a  large  and  spacious  forest  through  which  his  road  lay. 
Scarcely  had  he  entered  the  forest  when  he  beheld  a  mon 
strous  giant  dragging  along  by  the  hair  of  their  heads  a 
handsome  knight  and  his  lady.  Jack  alighted  from  his 
horse,  and  tying  him  to  an  oak  tree,  put  on  his  invisible  coat, 
under  which  he  carried  his  sword  of  sharpness. 

When  he  came  up  to  the  giant  he  made  several  strokes  at 
him,  but  could  not  reach  his  body,  though  he  wounded  his 
thighs  in  several  places ;  and  at  length  putting  both  hands  to 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

his  sword  and  aiming  with  all  his  might,  he  cut  off  both  his 
legs.  Then  Jack,  setting  his  foot  upon  the  giant's  neck,  plunged 
his  sword  into  the  great  body,  when  the  monster  gave  a  groan 
and  expired. 

The  knight  and  his  lady  thanked  Jack  for  their  deliverance 
and  invited  him  to  their  house,  to  receive  a  proper  reward 
for  his  services.  "  No,"  said  Jack,  "  I  cannot  be  easy  till 
I  find  out  this  monster's  habitation."  So  taking  the  knight's 
directions,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  soon  after  came  in 
sight  of  another  giant,  who  was  sitting  on  a  block  of  timber 
waiting  for  his  brother's  return. 

Jack  alighted  from  his  horse  and,  putting  on  his  invisible 
coat,  approached  and  aimed  a  blow  at  the  giant's  head,  but 
missing  his  aim  he  only  cut  off  his  nose.  On  this  the  giant 
seized  his  club  and  laid  about  him  most  unmercifully. 

"  Nay,"  said  Jack,  "  if  this  be  the  case  I'd  better  dispatch 
you ! "  So  jumping  upon  the  block  he  stabbed  him  in  the 
back,  when  he  dropped  down  dead. 

Jack  then  proceeded  on  his  journey  and  traveled  over  hills 
and  dales,  till  arriving  at  the  foot  of  a  high  mountain  he 
knocked  at  the  door  of  a  lonely  house,  when  an  old  man 
let  him  in. 

When  Jack  was  seated,  the  hermit  thus  addressed  him: 
"  My  son,  on  the  top  of  this  mountain  is  an  enchanted  castle, 
kept  by  the  giant  Galligantus  and  a  vile  magician.  I  lament 
the  fate  of  a  duke's  daughter,  whom  they  seized  as  she  was 
walking  in  her  father's  garden  and  brought  hither  trans 
formed  into  a  deer." 

Jack  promised  that  in  the  morning,  at  the  risk  of  his  life, 
he  would  break  the  enchantment,  and  after  a  sound  sleep 
he  arose  early,  put  on  his  invisible  coat,  and  made  ready  for 
the  attempt. 

When  he  had  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  he 
saw  two  fiery  griffins,  but  he  passed  between  them  without 
the  least  fear  of  danger,  for  they  could  not  see  him  because 
of  his  invisible  coat.  On  the  castle  gate  he  found  a  golden 
trumpet,  under  which  were  written  these  lines: 

[108] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Whoever  can  this  trumpet  blow 
Shall  cause  the  giant's  overthrow." 

As  soon  as  Jack  had  read  this  he  seized  the  trumpet  and 
blew  a  shrill  blast,  which  made  the  gates  fly  open  and  the 
very  castle  itself  tremble. 

The  giant  and  the  conjurer  now  knew  that  their  wicked 
course  was  at  an  end,  and  they  stood  biting  their  thumbs 
and  shaking  with  fear.  Jack,  with  his  sword  of  sharpness, 
soon  killed  the  giant,  and  the  magician  was  then  carried 
away  by  a  whirlwind ;  and  every  knight  and  beautiful  lady 
who  had  been  changed  into  birds  and  beasts  returned  to  their 
proper  shapes.  The  castle  vanished  away  like  smoke,  and  the 
head  of  the  giant  Galligantus  was  then  sent  to  King  Arthur. 

The  knights  and  ladies  rested  that  night  at  the  old  man's 
hermitage,  and  next  day  they  set  out  for  the  court.  Jack 
then  went  up  to  the  King  and  gave  his  majesty  an  account 
of  all  his  fierce  battles. 

Jack's  fame  had  now  spread  through  the  whole  country, 
and  at  the  King's  desire  the  duke  gave  him  his  daughter  in 
marriage,  to  the  joy  of  all  his  kingdom.  After  this  the  King 
gave  him  a  large  estate,  on  which  he  and  his  lady  lived  the 
rest  of  their  days  in  joy  and  contentment. 


Y*von    a?id  Finette 

A   TALE   OF   BRITTANY 

I 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  in  Brittany  a  noble  lord, 
-  who  was  called  the  Baron  Kerver.  His  manor  house 
was  the  most  beautiful  in  the  province.  It  was  a  great 
Gothic  castle,  with  a  groined  roof  and  walls,  covered  with 
carving,  that  looked  at  a  distance  like  a  vine  climbing  over 
an  arbor.  On  the  first  floor  six  stained  glass  balcony  win 
dows  looked  out  on  each  side  toward  the  rising  and  the  setting 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

sun.  In  the  morning  when  the  Baron,  mounted  on  his  dun 
mare,  went  forth  into  the  forest,  followed  by  his  tall  grey 
hounds,  he  saw  at  each  window  one  of  his  daughters,  with 
prayer  book  in  hand,  praying  for  the  house  of  Kerver,  and 
who,  with  their  fair  curls,  blue  eyes,  and  clasped  hands,  might 
have  been  taken  for  six  madonnas  in  an  azure  niche.  At 
evening  when  the  sun  declined  and  the  Baron  returned  home 
ward,  after  riding  round  his  domains,  he  perceived  from  afar, 
in  the  windows  looking  toward  the  west,  six  sons,  with  dark 
locks  and  eagle  gaze,  the  hope  and  pride  of  the  family,  who 
might  have  been  taken  for  six  sculptured  knights  at  the  portal 
of  a  church.  For  ten  leagues  round  all  who  wished  to  quote 
a  happy  father  and  a  powerful  lord  named  the  Baron  Kerver. 

The  castle  had  but  twelve  windows,  and  the  Baron  had 
thirteen  children.  The  last,  the  one  that  had  no  place,  was 
a  handsome  boy  of  sixteen  by  the  name  of  Yvon.  As  usual, 
he  was  the  best  beloved.  In  the  morning  at  his  departure, 
and  at  evening  on  his  return,  the  Baron  always  found  Yvon 
waiting  on  the  threshold  to  embrace  him.  With  his  fair  hair 
falling  to  his  waist,  his  graceful  figure,  his  willful  air,  and 
his  bold  bearing,  Yvon  was  beloved  by  all  the  Bretons.  At 
twelve  years  of  age  he  had  bravely  attacked  and  killed  a  wolf 
with  an  ax,  which  had  won  him  the  name  of  Fearless.  He 
deserved  the  title,  for  never  was  there  a  bolder  heart. 

One  day,  when  the  Baron  had  stayed  at  home,  and  was  amus 
ing  himself  by  breaking  a  lance  with  his  squire,  Yvon  entered 
the  armory  in  a  traveling  dress,  and,  bending  one  knee  to  the 
ground : 

"  My  lord  and  father,"  said  he  to  the  Baron,  "  I  come  to 
ask  your  blessing.  The  house  of  Kerver  is  rich  in  knights, 
and  has  no  need  of  a  child;  it  is  time  for  me  to  go  to  seek  my 
fortune.  I  wish  to  go  to  distant  countries  to  try  my  strength, 
and  to  make  myself  a  name." 

"  You  are  right,  Fearless,"  replied  the  Baron,  more  moved 
than  he  wished  to  appear.  "  I  will  not  keep  you  back;  I  have 
no  right  to  do  so;  but  you  are  very  young,  my  child;  per 
haps  it  would  be  better  for  you  to  stay  another  year  with  us." 

[no] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  I  am  sixteen,  my  father;  at  that  age  you  had  already 
fought  one  of  the  proudest  lords  of  the  country.  I  have  not 
forgotten  that  our  arms  are  a  unicorn  ripping  up  a  lion,  and 
our  motto,  "  Onward !  "  I  do  not  wish  the  Kervers  to  blush 
for  their  last  child." 

Yvon  received  his  father's  blessing,  shook  hands  with  his 
brothers,  embraced  his  sisters,  bade  adieu  to  all  the  weeping 
vassals,  and  set  out  with  a  light  heart. 

Nothing  stopped  him  on  his  way.  A  river  appeared,  he 
swam  it;  a  mountain,  he  climbed  it;  a  forest,  he  made  his 
way  through  it  with  the  sun  for  a  guide.  "  On — the  Kerver! " 
he  cried,  whenever  he  met  with  an  obstacle,  and  went  straight 
forward  in  spite  of  everything. 

For  three  years  he  had  been  roaming  over  the  world  in 
search  of  adventures,  sometimes  conquering,  sometimes  con 
quered,  always  bold  and  gay,  when  he  received  an  offer  to 
go  to  fight  the  heathen  of  Norway.  To  kill  unbelievers  and 
to  conquer  a  kingdom  was  a  double  pleasure.  Yvon  enlisted 
twelve  brave  comrades,  freighted  a  ship,  and  hoisted  from 
the  mainmast  a  blue  standard,  with  the  unicorn  and  motto 
of  the  Kervers. 

The  sea  was  calm,  the  wind  fair,  and  the  night  serene. 
Yvon,  stretched  on  the  deck,  watched  the  stars,  and  sought 
the  one  which  cast  its  trembling  light  on  his  father's  cas 
tle.  All  at  once  the  vessel  struck  upon  a  rock ;  a  terrible 
crash  was  heard ;  the  sails  fell  like  tinder ;  and  an  enormous 
wave  burst  over  the  deck,  and  swept  away  everything 
upon  it. 

"  On — the  Kerver! "  cried  Yvon,  as  soon  as  his  head  ap 
peared  above  the  water;  and  he  began  to  swim  as  tranquilly 
as  if  he  had  been  bathing  in  the  lake  of  the  old  castle.  Hap 
pily  the  moon  was  rising.  Yvon  saw,  at  a  little  distance,  a 
black  speck  among  the  silvery  waves — it  was  land.  He  ap 
proached  it,  not  without  difficulty,  and  finally  succeeded  in 
gaining  a  foothold.  Dripping  wet,  exhausted  with  fatigue, 
and  out  of  breath,  he  dragged  himself  on  the  sand;  then,  with 
out  more  anxiety,  said  his  prayers,  and  went  to  sleep. 


THE    FAIRY   RING 


II 

IN  the  morning,  on  awaking,  Yvon  tried  to  discover  in  what 
country  he  had  been  cast.  He  saw  in  the  distance  a  house 
as  large  as  a  church,  with  windows  fifty  feet  in  height.  He 
walked  a  whole  day  before  reaching  it,  and  at  last  found  him 
self  in  front  of  an  immense  door,  with  a  knocker  so  heavy 
that  it  was  impossible  for  a  man  to  lift  it. 

Yvon  took  a  great  stone  and  began  to  knock.  "  Come  in," 
cried  a  voice,  that  sounded  like  the  roar  of  a  bull.  At  the 
same  instant  the  door  opened,  and  the  little  Breton  found 
himself  in  the  presence  of  a  giant  not  less  than  forty  feet  in 
height. 

"  What  is  your  name,  and  what  do  you  want  here?  "  said 
the  giant,  taking  up  Yvon  between  his  thumb  and  finger,  and 
lifting  him  from  the  ground  so  as  to  see  him  better. 

"  My  name  is  Fearless,  and  I  am  seeking  my  fortune," 
answered  Yvon,  looking  at  the  monster  with  an  air  of  defiance. 

"  Well,  brave  Fearless,  your  fortune  is  made,"  said  the 
giant,  in  a  mocking  tone.  "  I  am  in  need  of  a  servant,  and  I 
will  give  you  the  place.  You  can  go  to  work  directly.  This 
is  the  time  for  leading  my  sheep  to  the  pasture;  you  may  clean 
the  stable  while  I  am  gone.  I  shall  give  you  nothing  else  to 
do,"  added  he,  bursting  into  a  laugh.  "  You  see  that  I  am  a 
good  master.  Do  your  task,  and,  above  all  things,  don't 
prowl  about  the  house,  or  it  will  cost  you  your  life." 

"Certainly  I  have  a  good  master;  the  work  is  not  hard," 
thought  Yvon,  when  the  giant  was  gone.  "  I  have  plenty 
of  time  to  sweep  the  stable.  What  shall  I  do  meanwhile  to 
amuse  myself?  Shall  I  look  about  the  house?  Since  I  am 
forbidden  to  do  so,  it  must  be  because  there  is  something 
to  see." 

He  entered  the  first  room,  and  saw  a  large  fireplace,  in 
which  a  great  pot  was  hanging,  suspended  from  a  hook.  The 
pot  was  boiling,  but  there  was  no  fire  on  the  hearth. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  thought  Yvon;  "there  is  some 

[112] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

mystery  here."     He  cut  off  a  lock  of  his  hair,  dipped  it  into 
the  pot,  and  took  it  out  all  coated  with  copper. 

"  Oh,  oh!  "  cried  he,  "this  is  a  new  kind  of  soup;  anybody 
that  swallows  it  must  have  an  iron-clad  stomach." 

He  went  into  the  next  room;  there  also  a  pot  was  sus 
pended  from  a  hook,  and  boiling  without  fire.  Yvon  dipped 
a  lock  of  hair  into  it,  and  took  it  out  all  coated  with  silver. 

"  The  broth  is  not  so  rich  as  this  in  the  Kerver  kitchen," 
thought  he,  "  but  it  may  have  a  better  taste." 

Upon  this,  he  entered  the  third  room.  There  also  a  pot 
was  suspended  from  a  hook,  and  boiling  without  fire.  Yvon 
dipped  a  lock  of  hair  into  it,  and  took  it  out  all  coated  with 
gold.  It  shone  so  brightly  that  it  might  have  been  mistaken 
for  a  sunbeam. 

"  Good!  "  cried  he.  "  In  our  country  the  old  women  have 
a  saying,  '  Everything  gets  worse  and  worse ';  here  it  is  just 
the  contrary,  everything  gets  better  and  better.  What  shall 
I  find  in  the  fourth  room,  I  wonder — diamond  soup?  " 

He  pushed  open  the  door,  and  saw  something  rarer  than 
precious  stones.  This  was  a  young  woman  of  such  marvelous 
beauty  that  Yvon,  dazzled,  fell  on  his  knees  at  the  sight. 

"Unfortunate  youth!"  cried  she,  in  a  trembling  voice, 
"  what  are  you  doing  here?  " 

"  I  belong  to  the  house,"  answered  Yvon ;  "  the  giant  took 
me  into  his  service  this  morning." 

"His  service!"  repeated  the  young  girl.  "May  Heaven 
preserve  you  from  it !  " 

"  Why  so?  "  said  Yvon.  "  I  have  a  good  master;  the  work 
is  not  hard.  The  stable  once  swept,  my  task  is  finished." 

"  Yes,  and  how  will  you  set  to  work  to  sweep  it  ?  "  asked  the 
lady.  "  If  you  sweep  it  in  the  usual  way,  for  every  forkful 
of  dung  that  you  throw  out  of  the  door,  ten  will  come  in  at 
the  window.  But  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do.  Turn  the  fork 
and  sweep  with  the  handle,  and  the  dung  will  instantly  fly 
out  of  itself." 

"  I  will  obey,"  said  Yvon ;  upon  which  he  sat  down  by  the 
young  girl  and  began  to  talk  with  her.  She  was  the  daughter 

[113] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

of  a  fairy,  whom  the  wretched  giant  had  made  his  slave. 
Friendship  soon  springs  up  between  companions  in  misfor 
tune.  Before  the  end  of  the  day,  Finette  (for  that  was  the 
lady's  name)  and  Yvon  had  already  promised  to  belong  to 
each  other,  if  they  could  escape  from  their  abominable  master. 
The  difficulty  was  to  find  the  means. 

Time  passes  quickly  in  this  kind  of  talk.  Evening  was  ap 
proaching  when  Finette  sent  away  her  new  friend,  advising 
him  to  sweep  the  stable  before  the  giant  came  home. 

Yvon  took  down  the  fork  and  attempted  to  use  it  as  he  had 
seen  it  done  at  his  father's  castle.  He  soon  had  enough  of 
it.  In  less  than  a  second  there  was  so  much  dung  in  the 
stable  that  the  poor  boy  knew  not  which  way  to  turn.  He 
did  as  Finette  had  bid  him ;  he  turned  the  fork  and  swept  with 
the  handle,  when  behold!  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  the 
stable  was  as  clean  as  if  no  cattle  had  ever  entered  it. 

The  task  finished,  Yvon  seated  himself  on  a  bench  before 
the  door  of  the  house.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the  giant  coming, 
he  lolled  back  in  his  seat,  crossed  his  legs,  and  began  to  sing 
one  of  his  native  airs. 

"Have  you  cleaned  the  stable?"  asked  the  giant,  with  a 
frown. 

"  Everything  is  ready,  master,"  answered  Yvon,  without 
troubling  himself  to  move. 

"  I  am  going  to  see  for  myself,"  howled  the  giant.  He  en 
tered  the  stable  grumbling,  found  everything  in  order,  and 
came  out  furious. 

"  You  have  seen  my  Finette,"  cried  he;  "  this  trick  did  not 
come  from  your  own  head !  " 

"  What  is  myfinette  ?  "  asked  Yvon,  opening  his  mouth  and 
shutting  his  eyes.  "  Is  it  one  of  the  animals  that  you  have 
in  this  country  ?  Show  it  to  me,  master." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  fool,"  replied  the  giant;  "  you  will  see 
her  sooner  than  you  will  want  to." 

The  next  morning  the  giant  gathered  his  sheep  together 
to  lead  them  to  the  pasture;  but,  before  setting  out,  he  or 
dered  Yvon  to  go  in  the  course  of  the  day  in  search  of  his 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

horse,  which  was  turned  out  to  graze  on  the  mountain. 
"  After  that,"  said  he,  bursting  into  a  laugh,  4t  you  can  rest 
all  day  long.  You  see  that  I  am  a  good  master.  Do  your 
task;  and,  above  all  things,  don't  prowl  about  the  house,  or 
I  will  cut  off  your  head." 

Yvon  winked  his  eye  as  the  giant  left.  "  Yes,  you  are  a 
good  master,"  said  he  between  his  teeth.  "  I  understand 
your  tricks;  but,  in  spite  of  your  threats,  I  shall  go  into  the 
house,  and  talk  with  your  Finette.  It  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  she  will  not  be  more  mine  than  yours." 

He  ran  to  the  young  girl's  room.  "Hurrah!"  cried  he; 
"  I  have  nothing  to  do  all  day  but  to  go  to  the  mountain  after 
a  horse." 

"Very  well,"  said  Finette;  "how  will  you  set  to  work  to 
ride  him?" 

"  A  fine  question,"  returned  Yvon.  "  As  if  it  were  a  difficult 
thing  to  ride  a  horse!  I  fancy  that  I  have  ridden  worse  ones 
than  this." 

"It  is  not  so  easy  as  you  think,"  replied  Finette;  "but  I 
will  tell  you  what  to  do.  Take  the  bit  that  hangs  behind  the 
stable  door,  and,  when  the  animal  rushes  toward  you  breath 
ing  fire  and  smoke  from  his  nostrils,  force  it  straight  be 
tween  his  teeth;  he  will  instantly  become  as  gentle  as  a  lamb, 
and  you  can  do  what  you  please  with  him." 

"  I  will  obey,"  said  Yvon;  upon  which  he  sat  down  by  the 
side  of  Finette,  and  began  to  talk  with  her.  They  talked  of 
everything;  but,  however  far  their  fancy  strayed,  they  always 
came  back  to  the  point  that  they  were  promised  to  each  other, 
and  that  they  must  escape  from  the  giant.  Time  passes 
quickly  in  this  kind  of  talk.  The  evening  drew  nigh.  Yvon 
had  forgotten  the  horse  and  the  mountain,  and  Finette  was 
obliged  to  send  him  away,  advising  him  to  bring  back  the 
animal  before  his  master's  arrival. 

Yvon  took  down  the  bit  that  was  hidden  behind  the  stable 
door,  and  hastened  to  the  mountain,  when  lo!  a  horse  almost 
as  large  as  an  elephant  rushed  toward  him  at  full  gallop, 
breathing  fire  and  smoke  from  his  nostrils.  Yvon  firmly 

["5] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

awaited  the  huge  animal,  and,  the  moment  he  opened  his 
enormous  jaws,  thrust  between  them  the  bit;  when  lo!  the 
horse  instantly  became  as  gentle  as  a  lamb.  Yvon  made  him 
kneel  down,  sprang  on  his  back,  and  tranquilly  returned  home. 

His  task  finished,  Yvon  seated  himself  on  the  bench  before 
the  door  of  the  house.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the  giant  coming, 
he  lolled  back  in  his  seat,  crossed  his  legs,  and  began  to  sing 
one  of  his  native  airs. 

"Have  you  brought  back  the  horse?"  asked  the  giant 
with  a  frown. 

"  Yes,  master,"  answered  Yvon,  without  taking  the  trouble 
to  move.  "  He  is  a  fine  animal,  and  does  you  credit.  He 
is  gentle,  well  trained,  and  as  quiet  as  a  lamb.  He  is  feeding 
yonder  in  the  stable." 

"  I  am  going  to  see  for  myself!  "  howled  the  giant.  He 
entered  the  stable  grumbling,  found  everything  in  order,  and 
came  out  furious. 

"  You  have  seen  my  Finette,"  said  he;  "this  trick  did  not 
come  from  your  own  head." 

"  Oh,  master,"  returned  Yvon,  opening  his  mouth  and  shut 
ting  his  eyes,  "  it  is  the  same  story  over  again.  What  is 
this  myfinette?  Once  for  all,  show  me  this  monster." 

"Hold  your  tongue,  fool,"  returned  the  giant;  "you  will 
see  her  sooner  than  you  will  want  to." 

The  third  day  at  dawn  the  giant  gathered  his  sheep  to 
gether  to  lead  them  to  the  pasture ;  but,  before  setting  out,  he 
said  to  Yvon : 

"  To-day  you  must  go  to  the  bottomless  pit  to  collect  my 
rent.  After  that,"  continued  he,  bursting  into  a  laugh,  "  you 
may  rest  all  day  long.  You  see  that  I  am  a  good  master." 

"  A  good  master,  so  be  it,"  murmured  Yvon,  "  but  the 
task  is  none  the  less  hard.  I  will  go  and  see  my  Finette,  as 
the  giant  says;  I  have  great  need  of  her  help  to  get  through 
to-day's  business." 

When  Finette  had  learned  what  was  the  task  of  the  day, 
"  Well,"  said  she,  "  how  will  you  go  to  work  to  do  it?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Yvon  sadly ;  "  I  have  never  been  to 

[116] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  bottomless  pit,  and,  even  if  1  knew  the  way  there,  I  should 
not  know  what  to  ask  for.  Tell  me  what  to  do." 

"  Do  you  see  that  great  rock  yonder  ? "  said  Finette ; 
"  that  is  one  of  the  gates  of  the  bottomless  pit.  Take  this 
stick,  knock  three  times  on  the  stone,  and  a  demon  will 
come  out  all  streaming  with  flames,  who  will  ask  you  how 
much  you  want.  Take  care  to  answer,  '  No  more  than  I  can 
carry.' ' 

"  I  will  obey,"  said  Yvon;  upon  which  he  took  a  seat  by 
the  side  of  Finette,  and  began  to  talk  with  her.  He  would 
have  been  there  till  this  time  if  the  young  girl  had  not  sent 
him  to  the  great  rock,  when  the  evening  drew  nigh,  to  ex 
ecute  the  giant's  commands. 

On  reaching  the  spot  pointed  out  to  him,  Yvon  found  a 
great  block  of  granite.  He  struck  it  three  times  with  the 
stick,  when  lo!  the  rock  opened,  and  a  demon  came  forth 
all  streaming  with  flames. 

"  What  do  you  want?  "  he  cried. 

"  I  have  come  for  the  giant's  rent,"  answered  Yvon  calmly. 

"  How  much  do  you  want?  " 

"  I  never  want  any  more  than  I  can  carry,"  replied  the 
Breton. 

"  It  is  well  for  you  that  you  do  not,"  returned  the  man  in 
flames.  "  Enter  this  cavern,  and  you  will  find  what  you 
want." 

Yvon  entered,  and  opened  his  eyes  wide.  Everywhere  he 
saw  nothing  but  gold,  silver,  diamonds,  carbuncles,  and  emer 
alds.  They  were  as  numerous  as  the  sands  on  the  seashore. 
The  young  Kerver  filled  a  sack,  threw  it  across  his  shoulder, 
and  tranquilly  returned  home. 

His  task  finished,  our  Breton  seated  himself  on  the  bench 
before  the  door  of  the  house.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the  giant 
coming,  he  lolled  back  in  his  seat,  crossed  his  legs,  and  began 
to  sing  one  of  his  native  airs. 

"  Have  you  been  to  the  bottomless  pit  to  collect  my  rent?  " 
asked  the  giant,  with  a  frown. 

"  Yes,  master,"  answered  Yvon,  without  taking  the  trouble 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

to  stir.  "  The  sack  is  there  right  before  your  eyes ;  you  can 
count  it." 

"  I  am  going  to  see  for  myself !  "  howled  the  giant.  He  un 
tied  the  strings  of  the  sack,  which  was  so  full  that  the  gold 
and  silver  rolled  in  all  directions. 

"  You  have  seen  my  Finette,"  he  cried;  "  this  trick  did  not 
come  from  your  own  head." 

"  Don't  you  know  but  one  song,"  said  Yvon,  opening  his 
mouth  and  shutting  his  eyes.  "  It  is  the  old  story,  myfinette, 
myfinette.  Once  for  all,  show  me  this  thing." 

"  Well,  well,"  roared  the  giant  with  fury,  "  wait  till  to 
morrow,  and  you  shall  make  her  acquaintance !  " 

"  Thank  you,  master,"  said  Yvon.  "  It  is  very  good  of 
you;  but  I  see  from  your  face  that  you  are  laughing  at  me." 

Ill 

THE  next  morning  the  giant  went  out  without  giving  Yvon 
any  orders,  which  troubled  Finette.  At  noon  he  returned 
without  his  flock,  complaining  of  the  heat  and  fatigue,  and 
said  to  the  young  girl: 

"  You  will  find  a  child,  my  servant,  at  the  door.  Cut  his 
throat,  put  him  into  the  great  pot  to  boil,  and  call  me  when 
the  broth  is  ready."  Saying  this  he  stretched  himself  on  the 
bed  to  take  a  nap,  and  was  soon  snoring  so  loud  that  it 
seemed  like  thunder  shaking  the  mountains. 

Finette  prepared  a  log  of  wood,  took  a  large  knife,  and 
called  Yvon.  She  pricked  his  little  finger;  three  drops  of 
blood  fell  on  the  log. 

"That  is  enough,"  said  Finette;  "now  help  me  to  fill  the 
pot." 

They  threw  into  it  all  that  they  could  find — old  clothes,  old 
shoes,  old  carpets,  and  everything  else.  Finette  then  took 
Yvon  by  the  hand,  and  led  him  through  the  three  antecham 
bers,  where  she  ran  in  a  mold  three  bullets  of  gold,  two  bul 
lets  of  silver,  and  one  bullet  of  copper,  after  which  they  quitted 
the  house  and  raji  toward  the  sea. 

[«*] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"On — the  Kerver!"  cried  Yvon,  as  soon  as  he  saw  him 
self  in  the  country.  "  Explain  yourself,  dear  Finette ;  what 
farce  are  we  playing  now?  " 

"Let  us  run — let  us  run!"  she  cried;  "if  we  do  not  quit 
this  wretched  island  before  night,  it  is  all  over  with  us." 

"  On — the  Kerver!  "  replied  Yvon  laughing,  "  and  down 
with  the  giant!  " 

When  he  had  snored  a  full  hour,  the  giant  stretched  his 
limbs,  half  opened  one  eye,  and  cried,  "  Is  it  ready?  " 

"  It  is  just  beginning  to  boil/'  answered  the  first  drop  of 
blood  on  the  log. 

The  giant  turned  over,  and  snored  louder  than  ever  for  an 
hour  or  two  longer.  Then  he  stretched  his  limbs,  half  opened 
one  eye,  and  cried  out,  "  Do  you  hear  me?  Is  it  almost 
ready?  " 

"  It  is  half  done,"  answered  the  second  drop  of  blood  on 
the  log. 

The  giant  turned  over,  and  slept  an  hour  longer.  Then  he 
yawned,  stretched  his  great  limbs,  and  cried  out  impatiently, 
"  Isn't  it  ready  yet?" 

"  It  is  ready  now,"  answered  the  third  drop  of  blood  on 
the  log. 

The  giant  sat  up  in  bed,  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  looked  around 
to  see  who  had  spoken;  but  it  was  in  vain  to  look;  he  saw 
nobody. 

"  Finette!  "  howled  he,  "  why  isn't  the  table  set?  " 

There  was  no  answer.  The  giant,  furious,  sprang  out  of 
bed,  seized  a  ladle,  which  looked  like  a  caldron  with  a  pitch 
fork  for  a  handle,  and  plunged  it  into  the  pot  to  taste  the 
soup. 

"  Finette!  "  howled  he,  "  you  haven't  salted  it.  What  sort 
of  a  soup  is  this?  I  see  neither  meat  nor  vegetables." 

No ;  but,  in  return,  he  saw  his  carpet,  which  had  not  quite 
all  boiled  to  pieces.  At  this  sight  he  fell  into  such  a  fit  of 
rage  that  he  could  not  keep  his  feet. 

"  Villains!  "  said  he,  "  you  have  played  a  fine  trick  on  me; 
but  you  shall  pay  for  it !  " 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

He  rushed  out  with  a  stick  in  his  hand,  and  strode  along  at 
such  a  rate  that  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  discovered  the 
two  fugitives  still  far  from  the  seashore.  He  uttered  such  a 
cry  of  joy  that  the  earth  shook  for  twelve  leagues  around. 

Finette  stopped,  trembling.     Yvon  clasped  her  to  his  heart. 

"  On — the  Kerver!"  said  he;  "the  sea  is  not  far  off;  we 
shall  be  there  before  our  enemy." 

"  Here  he  is !  here  he  is ! "  cried  Finette,  pointing  to  the 
giant  not  a  hundred  yards  off;  "  we  are  lost  if  this  charm 
does  not  save  us." 

She  took  the  copper  bullet  and  threw  it  on  the  ground, 
saying: 

"  Copper  bullet,  save  us,  pray, 
Stop  the  giant  on  his  way." 

And  behold,  the  earth  cracked  apart  with  a  terrific  noise,  and 
an  enormous  fissure,  a  bottomless  pit,  stopped  the  giant  just 
as  he  was  stretching  out  his  hand  to  seize  his  prey. 

"Let  us  fly!"  cried  Finette,  grasping  the  arm  of  Yvon, 
who  was  gazing  at  the  giant  with  a  swaggering  air,  defying 
him  to  come  on. 

The  giant  ran  backward  and  forward  along  the  abyss  like 
a  bear  in  his  cage,  seeking  a  passage  everywhere  and  finding 
none;  then,  with  a  furious  jerk,  he  tore  up  an  immense  oak  by 
the  roots,  and  flung  it  across  the  gap.  The  branches  of  the 
oak  nearly  crushed  the  children  as  it  fell.  The  giant  seated 
himself  astride  the  huge  tree,  which  bent  under  his  weight, 
and  crept  slowly  along,  suspended  between  heaven  and  earth, 
entangled  as  he  was  among  the  branches.  When  he  reached 
the  other  side,  Yvon  and  Finette  were  already  on  the  shore, 
with  the  sea  rolling  before  them. 

Alas!  there  was  neither  bark  nor  ship.  The  fugitives  were 
lost.  Yvon,  always  brave,  picked  up  stones  to  attack  the 
giant,  and  to  sell  his  life  dearly.  Finette,  trembling  with 
fear,  threw  one  of  the  silver  bullets  into  the  sea,  saying: 

"  Silver  bullet,  bright  and  pliant, 
Save  us  from  this  frightful  giant." 
[120] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Scarcely  had  she  spoken  the  magic  words  when  a  beautiful 
ship  rose  from  the  waves  like  a  swan  spreading  its  white 
wings.  Yvon  and  Finette  plunged  into  the  sea;  a  rope  was 
thrown  them  by  an  invisible  hand;  and  when  the  furious  giant 
reached  the  shore,  the  ship  was  receding  rapidly  at  full  sail, 
leaving  behind  it  a  long  furrow  of  shining  foam. 

Giants  do  not  like  the  water.  This  fact  is  certified  to  by 
old  Homer,  who  knew  Polyphemus ;  and  the  same  observation 
will  be  found  in  all  natural  histories  worthy  of  the  name. 
Finette's  master  resembled  Polyphemus.  He  roared  with 
rage  when  he  saw  his  slaves  about  to  escape  him.  He  ran 
hesitatingly  along  the  shore;  he  flung  huge  masses  of  rock 
after  the  vessel,  which  happily  fell  by  the  side  of  it,  and  only 
made  great  black  holes  in  the  water;  and,  finally,  mad  with 
anger  he  plunged  head  foremost  into  the  sea,  and  began  to 
swim  after  the  ship  with  frightful  speed.  At  each  stroke  he 
advanced  forty  feet,  blowing  like  a  whale,  and  like  a  whale 
cleaving  the  waves.  By  degrees  he  gained  on  his  enemies; 
one  more  effort  would  bring  him  within  reach  of  the  rudder, 
and  already  he  was  stretching  out  his  arm  to  seize  it,  when 
Finette  threw  the  second  silver  bullet  into  the  sea,  and  cried, 
in  tears: 

"  Silver  bullet,  bright  and  pliant, 
Save  us  from  this  frightful  giant." 

Suddenly  from  the  midst  of  the  foam  darted  forth  a  gi 
gantic  swordfish,  with  a  sword  at  least  twenty  feet  in  length. 
It  rushed  straight  toward  the  giant,  who  scarcely  had  time 
to  dive,  chased  him  under  the  water,  pursued  him  on  the  top 
of  the  waves,  followed  him  closely  whichever  way  he  turned, 
and  forced  him  to  flee  as  fast  as  he  could  to  his  island,  where 
he  finally  landed  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  and  fell  upon  the 
shore  dripping,  worn  out,  and  conquered. 

"  On — the  Kerver!  "  cried  Yvon,  "  we  are  saved!  " 
"  Not   yet,"   said   Finette,   trembling.     "  The   giant  has   a 
witch  for  a  godmother,  I  fear  that  she  will  revenge  on  me 
the  insult  offered  to  her  godson.     My  art  tells  me,  my  dear 

[  121  ] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Yvon,  that  if  you  quit  me  a  single  instant  until  you  give  me 
your  name  in  the  chapel  of  the  Kervers,  I  have  everything 
to  dread." 

"  By  the  unicorn  of  my  ancestors,"  cried  Yvon,  "  you  have 
the  heart  of  a  hare  and  not  of  a  hero!  Am  I  not  here?  Am  I 
going  to  abandon  you?  Do  you  believe  that  Providence  has 
saved  us  from  the  fangs  of  that  monster  to  wreck  us  in  port  ?  " 

He  laughed  so  gayly  that  Finett.e  laughed  in  turn  at  the 
terror  that  had  seized  her. 

IV 

THE  rest  of  the  voyage  passed  off  admirably.  An  invisible 
hand  seemed  to  impel  the  ship  onward.  Twenty  days  after 
their  departure  the  boat  landed  Yvon  and  Finette  near  Kerver 
Castle.  Once  on  shore,  Yvon  turned  to  thank  the  crew.  No 
one  was  there.  Both  boat  and  ship  had  vanished  under  the 
waves,  leaving  no  trace  behind  but  a  gull  on  the  wing. 

Yvon  recognized  the  spot  where  he  had  so  often  gathered 
shells  and  chased  the  crabs  to  their  holes  when  a  child.  Half 
an  hour's  walk  would  bring  him  in  sight  of  the  towers  of  the 
old  castle.  His  heart  beat;  he  looked  tenderly  at  Finette, 
and  saw,  for  the  first  time,  that  her  dress  was  fantastic  and 
unworthy  of  a  woman  about  to  enter  the  noble  house  of 
Kerver. 

"  My  dear  child,"  said  he,  "  the  Baron,  my  father,  is  a  noble 
lord,  accustomed  to  be  treated  with  respect.  I  cannot  intro 
duce  you  to  him  in  this  gypsy  dress;  neither  is  it  fitting 
that  you  should  enter  our  great  castle  on  foot  like  a  peasant. 
Wait  for  me  a  few  moments,  and  I  will  bring  you  a  horse 
and  one  of  my  sister's  dresses.  I  wish  you  to  be  received  like 
a  lady  of  high  degree.  I  wish  my  father  himself  to  meet  you 
on  your  arrival,  and  hold  it  an  honor  to  give  you  his  hand." 

"  Yvon,  Yvon ! "  cried  Finette,  "  do  not  quit  me,  I  beg 
you.  Once  returned  to  your  castle,  I  know  that  you  will 
forget  me." 

"  Forget  you!  "  exclaimed  Yvon.  "  If  anyone  else  were  to 
offer  me  such  an  insult,  I  would  teach  him  with  my  sword  to 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

suspect  a  Kerver.  Forget  you,  my  Finette!  you  do  not  know 
the  fidelity  of  a  Breton." 

That  the  Bretons  are  faithful,  no  one  doubts;  but  that  they 
are  still  more  headstrong  is  a  justice  that  none  will  deny 
them.  It  was  useless  for  poor  Finette  to  plead  in  her  most 
loving  tones;  she  was  forced  to  yield.  She  resigned  herself 
with  a  heavy  heart,  and  said  to  Yvon: 

"  Go  without  me,  then,  to  your  castle,  but  only  stay  long 
enough  to  speak  to  your  friends;  then  go  straight  to  the 
stable,  and  return  as  soon  as  possible.  You  will  be  sur 
rounded  by  people;  act  as  if  you  saw  no  one,  and,  above  all, 
do  not  eat  or  drink  anything  whatever.  Should  you  take 
only  a  glass  of  water,  evil  would  come  upon  us  both." 

Yvon  promised  and  swore  all  that  Finette  asked,  but  he 
smiled  in  his  heart  at  this  feminine  weakness.  He  was  sure 
of  himself;  and  he  thought  with  pride  how  different  a  Breton 
was  from  those  fickle  Frenchmen,  whose  words,  they  say,  are 
borne  away  by  the  first  breath  of  the  wind. 

On  entering  the  old  castle  he  could  scarcely  recognize  its 
dark  walls.  All  the  windows  were  festooned  with  leaves  and 
flowers  within  and  without;  the  courtyard  was  strewn  with 
fragrant  grass ;  on  one  side  were  spread  tables  groaning  under 
their  weight;  on  the  other,  musicians,  mounted  on  casks,  were 
playing  merry  airs.  The  vassals,  dressed  in  their  holiday 
attire,  were  singing  and  dancing,  and  dancing  and  singing. 
It  was  a  day  of  great  rejoicing  at  the  castle.  The  Baron  him 
self  was  smiling.  It  is  true  that  he  had  just  married  his  fifth 
daughter  to  the  Knight  of  Kervalec.  This  marriage  added 
another  quartering  to  the  illustrious  escutcheon  of  the 
Kervers. 

Yvon,  recognized  and  welcomed  by  all  the  crowd,  was  in 
stantly  surrounded  by  his  relatives,  who  embraced  him  and 
shook  him  by  the  hand.  Where  had  he  been?  Where  did 
he  come  from?  Had  he  conquered  a  kingdom,  a  duchy,  or  a 
barony?  Had  he  brought  the  bride  the  jewels  of  some 
queen?  Had  the  fairies  protected  him?  How  many  rivals 
had  he  overthrown?  All  these  questions  were  showered  upon 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

him  without  reply.  Yvon  respectfully  kissed  his  father's 
hand,  hastened  to  his  sisters'  chamber,  took  two  of  their  finest 
dresses,  went  to  the  stable,  saddled  a  pony,  mounted  a  beau 
tiful  Spanish  jennet,  and  was  about  to  quit  the  castle,  when 
he  found  his  relatives,  friends,  squires,  and  vassals  all  stand 
ing  in  his  way,  their  glasses  in  their  hands,  ready  to  drink  their 
young  lord's  health  and  his  safe  return. 

Yvon  gracefully  thanked  them,  bowed,  and  made  his  way 
by  degrees  through  the  crowd,  when,  just  as  he  was  about  to 
cross  the  drawbridge,  a  fair-haired  lady,  with  a  haughty  and 
disdainful  air,  a  stranger  to  him,  a  sister  of  the  bridegroom, 
perhaps,  approached  him,  holding  a  pomegranate  in  her  hand. 

"  My  handsome  knight,"  said  she,  with  a  singular  smile, 
"  you  surely  will  not  refuse  a  lady's  first  request.  Taste  this 
pomegranate,  I  entreat  you.  If  you  are  neither  hungry  nor 
thirsty  after  so  long  a  journey,  I  suppose  at  least  that  you 
have  not  forgotten  the  laws  of  politeness." 

Yvon  dared  not  refuse  this  appeal.  He  was  very  wrong. 
Scarcely  had  he  tasted  the  pomegranate  when  he  looked  round 
him  like  a  man  waking  from  a  dream. 

"What  am  I  doing  on  this  horse?"  thought  he.  "What 
means  this  pony  that  I  am  leading?  Is  not  my  place  in  my 
father's  house  at  my  sister's  wedding?  Why  should  I  quit 
the  castle?" 

He  threw  the  bridle  to  one  of  the  grooms,  leaped  lightly  to 
the  ground,  and  offered  his  hand  to  the  fair-haired  lady,  who 
accepted  him  as  her  attendant  on  the  spot,  and  gave  him  her 
bouquet  to  hold  as  a  special  mark  of  favor. 

Before  the  evening  was  over  there  was  another  betrothed 
couple  in  the  castle.  Yvon  had  pledged  his  faith  to  the  un 
known  lady,  and  Finette  was  forgotten. 


POOR  Finette,  seated  on  the  seashore,  waited  all  day  long 
for  Yvon,  but  Yvon  did  not  come.  The  sun  was  setting  in 
the  fiery  waves,  when  Finette  rose,  sighing,  and  took  the 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

way  to  the  castle  in  her  turn.  She  had  not  walked  long  in 
a  steep  road,  bordered  with  thorn  trees  in  blossom,  when 
she  found  herself  in  front  of  a  wretched  hut,  at  the  door  of 
which  stood  an  old  woman  about  to  milk  her  cow.  Finette 
approached  her,  and,  making  a  low  courtesy,  begged  a  shelter 
for  the  night. 

The  old  woman  looked  at  the  stranger  from  head  to  foot. 
With  her  buskins  trimmed  with  fur,  her  full  red  petticoat,  her 
blue  jacket  edged  with  jet,  and  her  diadem,  Finette  looked 
more  like  an  Egyptian  princess  than  a  Christian.  The  old 
woman  frowned,  and,  shaking  her  fist  in  the  face  of  the  poor 
forsaken  girl,  "  Begone,  witch!  "  she  cried;  "  there  is  no  room 
for  you  in  this  honest  house." 

"  My  good  mother,"  said  Finette,  "  give  me  only  a  corner 
of  the  stable." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  old  woman,  laughing,  and  showing  the  only 
tooth  she  had  left,  which  projected  from  her  mouth  like  a 
bear's  tusk,  "  so  you  want  a  corner  of  the  stable,  do  you! 
Well,  you  shall  have  it,  if  you  will  fill  my  milk  pail  with  gold." 

"  It  is  a  bargain,"  said  Finette  quietly.  She  opened  a 
leather  purse  which  she  wore  at  her  belt,  took  from  it  a 
golden  bullet,  and  threw  it  into  the  milk  pail,  saying: 

"  Golden  bullet,  precious  treasure, 
Save  me,  if  it  be  thy  pleasure." 

And  behold!  the  pieces  of  gold  began  to  dance  about  in  the 
pail;  they  rose  higher  and  higher,  flapping  about  like  fish  in 
a  net,  while  the  old  woman  on  her  knees  gazed  with  wonder 
at  the  sight. 

When  the  pail  was  full  the  old  woman  rose,  put  her  arm 
through  the  handle,  and  said  to  Finette,  "  Madam,  all  is  yours, 
the  house,  the  cow,  and  everything  else.  Hurrah!  I  am 
going  to  the  town  to  live  like  a  lady  with  nothing  to  do.  Oh, 
dear,  how  I  wish  I  were  only  sixty!"  And,  shaking  her 
crutch,  without  looking  backward,  she  set  out  on  a  run  toward 
Kerver  Castle. 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Finette  entered  the  house.  It/ was  a  wretched  hovel,  dark, 
low,  damp,  bad-smelling,  and  full  of  dust  and  spiders'  webs 
— a  horrible  refuge  for  a  woman  accustomed  to  living  in  the 
giant's  grand  castle.  Without  seeming  troubled,  Finette  went 
to  the  hearth,  on  which  a  few  green  boughs  were  smoking, 
took  another  golden  bullet  from  her  purse,  and  threw  it  into 
the  fire,  saying: 

"  Golden  bullet,  precious  treasure, 
Save  me,  if  it  be  thy  pleasure  " 

The  gold  melted,  bubbled  up,  and  spread  all  over  the  house 
like  running  water,  and  behold!  the  whole  cottage,  the  walls, 
the  thatch,  the  wooden  rocking  chair,  the  stool,  the  chest,  the 
bed,  the  cow's  horns,  everything,  even  to  the  spiders  in 
their  webs,  was  turned  to  gold.  The  house  gleamed  in  the 
moonlight,  among  the  trees,  like  a  star  in  the  night. 

When  Finette  had  milked  the  cow  and  drunk  a  little  new 
milk,  she  threw  herself  on  the  bed  without  undressing,  and, 
worn  out  by  the  fatigue  of  the  day,  fell  asleep  in  the  midst  of 
her  tears. 

Old  women  do  not  know  how  to  hold  their  tongues,  at  least 
in  Brittany.  Finette's  hostess  had  scarcely  reached  the  vil 
lage  when  she  hastened  to  the  house  of  the  steward.  He 
was  an  important  personage,  who  had  more  than  once  made 
her  tremble  when  she  had  driven  her  cow  into  her  neighbor's 
pasture  by  mistake.  The  steward  listened  to  the  old  woman's 
story,  shook  his  head,  and  said  that  it  looked  like  witchcraft; 
then  he  mysteriously  brought  a  pair  of  scales,  weighed  the 
guineas,  which  he  found  to  be  genuine  and  of  full  weight, 
kept  as  many  of  them  as  he  could,  and  advised  the  owner  to 
tell  no  one  of  this  strange  adventure.  "  If  it  should  come  to 
the  ears  of  the  bailiff  or  the  seneschal,"  said  he,  "  the  least 
that  would  happen  to  you,  mother,  would  be  to  lose  every  one 
of  these  beautiful  bright  guineas.  Justice  is  impartial;  it 
knows  neither  favor  nor  repugnance;  it  takes  the  whole." 

The  old  woman  thanked  the  steward  for  his  advice,  and 
promised  to  follow  it.  She  kept  her  word  so  well  that  she 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

only  told  her  story  that  evening  to  two  neighbors,  her  dear 
est  friends,  both  of  whom  swore  on  the  heads  of  their  little 
children  to  keep  it  secret.  The  oath  was  a  solemn  one,  and 
so  well  kept  that  at  noon  the  next  day  there  was  not  a  boy 
of  six  in  the  village  that  did  not  point  his  finger  at  the  old 
woman,  while  the  very  dogs  seemed  to  bark  in  their  language, 
"  Here  is  the  old  woman  with  her  guineas!  " 

A  girl  who  amuses  herself  by  filling  milk-pails  with  gold  is 
not  to  be  found  every  day.  Even  though  she  should  be 
something  of  a  witch,  such  a  girl  would  none  the  less  be  a 
treasure  in  a  family.  The  steward,  who  was  a  bachelor,  made 
this  wise  reflection  that  night  on  going  to  bed.  Before  dawn 
he  rose  to  make  his  rounds  in  the  direction  of  the  stranger's 
cottage.  By  the  first  gleam  of  day  he  spied  something  shin 
ing  in  the  distance  like  a  light  among  the  woods.  On  reach 
ing  the  place  he  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  a  golden  cottage 
instead  of  the  wretched  hut  that  had  stood  there  the  day 
before.  But,  on  entering  the  house,  he  was  much  more  sur 
prised  and  delighted  to  find  a  beautiful  young  girl,  with  raven 
hair,  sitting  by  the  window,  and  spinning  on  her  distaff  with 
the  air  of  an  empress. 

Like  all  men  the  steward  did  himself  justice,  and  knew, 
at  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  that  there  was  not  a  woman  in  the 
world  that  would  not  be  too  happy  to  give  him  her  hand. 
Without  hesitating  therefore  he  declared  to  Finette  that  he 
had  come  to  marry  her.  The  young  girl  burst  out  laughing, 
upon  which  the  steward  flew  into  a  passion. 

"  Take  care!  "  said  he,  in  a  terrible  voice;  "  I  am  the  mas 
ter  here.  No  one  knows  who  you  are  or  whence  you  came. 
The  gold  that  you  gave  the  old  woman  has  raised  suspicions. 
There  is  magic  in  this  house.  If  you  do  not  accept  me  for  a 
husband  this  very  instant  I  will  arrest  you,  and  before  night 
perhaps  a  witch  will  be  burned  before  Kerver  Castle." 

"  You  are  very  amiable,"  said  Finette,  with  a  charming 
grimace;  "  you  have  a  peculiar  way  of  paying  court  to  ladies. 
Even  when  they  have  decided  not  to  refuse,  a  gallant  man 
spares  their  blushes." 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  We  Bretons  are  plain-spoken  people,"  replied  the  stew 
ard;  "  we  go  straight  to  the  point.  Marriage  or  prison,  which 
do  you  choose?  " 

"  Oh ! "  cried  Finette,  laying  down  the  distaff,  "  there  are 
the  firebrands  falling  all  over  the  room." 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself,"  said  the  steward,  "  I  will  pick 
them  up." 

"  Lay  them  carefully  on  the  top  of  the  ashes,"  returned 
Finette.  "  Have  you  the  tongs  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  steward,  picking  up  the  crackling  coals. 

"Abracadabra!"  cried  Finette,  rising.  "Villain,  may  the 
tongs  hold  you,  and  may  you  hold  the  tongs  till  sunset !  " 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  The  wicked  steward  stood 
there  all  day  with  the  tongs  in  his  hand,  picking  up  and 
throwing  back  the  burning  coals  that  snapped  in  his  face, 
and  the  hot  ashes  that  flew  into  his  eyes.  It  was  useless  for 
him  to  shout,  pray,  weep,  and  blaspheme;  no  one  heard  him. 
If  Finette  had  stayed  at  home  she  would  doubtless  have  taken 
pity  on  him;  but,  after  putting  the  spell  upon  him  she  has 
tened  to  the  seashore,  where,  forgetting  everything  else,  she 
watched  for  Yvon  in  vain. 

The  moment  that  the  sun  set  the  tongs  fell  from  the  stew 
ard's  hands.  He  did  not  stop  to  finish  his  errand,  but  ran  as 
if  the  devil  or  justice  were  at  his  heels.  He  made  such  leaps, 
he  uttered  such  groans,  he  was  so  blackened,  scorched,  and 
benumbed,  that  everyone  in  the  village  was  afraid  of  him, 
thinking  that  he  was  mad.  The  boldest  tried  to  speak  to  him, 
but  he  fled  without  answering,  and  hid  himself  in  his  house, 
more  ashamed  than  a  wolf  that  has  left  his  paw  in  the  trap. 

At  evening,  when  Finette  returned  home  in  despair,  in 
stead  of  the  steward  she  found  another  visitor  little  less  for 
midable.  The  bailiff  had  heard  the  story  of  the  guineas,  and 
had  also  made  up  his  mind  to  marry  the  stranger.  He  was 
not  rough  like  the  steward,  but  a  fat,  good-natured  man  who 
could  not  speak  without  bursting  into  a  laugh,  showing  his 
great  yellow  teeth,  and  puffing  and  blowing  like  an  ox,  though 
at  heart  he  was  not  less  obstinate  or  less  threatening  than 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

his  predecessor.  Finette  entreated  the  bailiff  to  leave  her 
alone.  He  laughed  and  hinted  to  her  in  a  good-natured  way 
that,  by  right  of  his  office,  he  had  the  power  to  imprison  and 
hang  people  without  process  of  law.  She  clasped  her  hands, 
and  begged  him  with  tears  to  go.  For  his  only  answer  he 
took  a  roll  of  parchment  from  his  pocket,  wrote  on  it  a  con 
tract  of  marriage,  and  declared  to  Finette  that  should  he  stay 
all  night  he  would  not  leave  the  house  till  she  had  signed  the 
promise. 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  he,  "  if  you  do  not  like  my  person  I 
have  another  parchment  here  on  which  I  will  write  an  agree 
ment  to  live  apart;  and  if  my  sight  annoys  you,  you  have  only 
to  shut  your  eyes." 

"  Why,"  said  Finette,  "  I  might  decide  to  do  as  you  wish 
if  I  were  sure  of  finding  a  good  husband  in  you;  but  I  am 
afraid." 

"  Of  what,  my  dear  child?"  asked  the  bailiff,  smiling,  and 
already  as  proud  as  a  peacock. 

"  Do  you  think,"  said  she,  with  a  pettish  air,  "  that  a  good 
husband  would  leave  that  door  wide  open,  and  not  know  that 
his  wife  was  freezing  with  cold  ?  " 

"You  are  right,  my  dear,"  said  the  bailiff;  "it  was  very 
stupid  in  me.  I  will  go  and  shut  it." 

"  Have  you  hold  of  the  knob?  "  asked  Finette. 

"  Yes,  my  charmer,"  answered  the  happy  bailiff;  "  I  am  just 
shutting  the  door." 

"Abracadabra!"  cried  Finette.  "May  you  hold  the  door, 
villain,  and  may  the  door  hold  you  till  daybreak." 

And  behold,  the  door  opened  and  shut,  and  slammed  against 
the  walls  like  an  eagle  flapping  its  wings.  You  may  judge 
what  a  dance  the  poor  captive  kept  up  all  night.  Never  had  he 
tried  such  a  waltz,  and  I  imagine  that  he  never  wished  to  dance 
a  second  one  of  the  same  sort.  Sometimes  the  door  swung 
open  with  him  in  the  street ;  sometimes  it  flew  back  and 
crushed  him  against  the  wall.  He  swung  backward  and  for 
ward,  screaming,  swearing,  weeping,  and  praying,  but  all  in 
vain;  the  door  was  deaf,  and  Finette  asleep. 


THE   FAIRY-   RING 

At  daybreak  his  hands  unclasped,  and  he  fell  in  the  road 
head  foremost.  Without  waiting  to  finish  his  errand  he  ran 
as  if  the  Moors  were  after  him.  He  did  not  even  turn  around 
for  fear  that  the  door  might  be  at  his  heels.  Fortunately 
for  him  all  were  still  asleep  when  he  reached  the  village,  and 
he  could  hide  himself  in  bed  without  anyone  seeing  his  de 
plorable  plight.  This  was  a  great  piece  of  good  fortune  for 
him  for  he  was  covered  with  whitewash  from  head  to  foot, 
and  so  pale,  haggard,  and  trembling  that  he  might  have  been 
taken  for  the  ghost  of  a  miller  escaped  from  the  infernal 
regions. 

When  Finette  opened  her  eyes  she  saw  by  her  bedside  a 
tall  man  dressed  in  black,  with  a  velvet  cap  and  a  sword.  It 
was  the  seneschal  of  the  barony  of  Kerver.  He  stood  with 
his  arms  folded,  gazing  at  Finette  in  a  way  that  chilled  the 
very  marrow  of  her  bones. 

"  What  is  your  name,  vassal?  "  said  he  in  a  voice  of  thunder. 

"  Finette,  at  your  service,  my  lord,"  replied  she,  trembling. 

"  Is  this  house  and  furniture  yours?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  everything,  at  your  service." 

"  I  mean  that  it  shall  be  at  my  service,"  returned  the  sen 
eschal  sternly.  "  Rise,  vassal!  I  do  you  the  honor  to  marry 
you,  and  to  take  yourself,  your  person,  and  your  property 
under  my  guardianship." 

"  My  lord,"  returned  Finette,  "  this  is  much  too  great  an 
honor  for  a  poor  girl  like  me,  a  stranger,  without  friends  or 
kindred." 

"Be  silent,  vassal!"  replied  the  seneschal.  "I  am  your 
lord  and  master;  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  your  advice.  Sign 
this  paper." 

"  My  lord,"  said  Finette,  "  I  don't  know  how  to  write." 

"Do  you  think  that  I  do,  either?"  returned  the  seneschal, 
in  a  voice  that  shook  the  house.  "  Do  you  take  me  for  a 
clerk?  A  cross — that  is  the  signature  of  gentlemen." 

He  made  a  large  cross  on  the  paper,  and  handed  the  pen  to 
Finette. 

"  Sign,"  said  he.  "  If  you  are  afraid  to  make  a  cross,  in- 

[130] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

fidel,  you  pass  your  own  death  sentence,  and  I  shall  take  on 
myself  to  execute  it."  He  drew  his  heavy  sword  from  the 
scabbard  as  he  spoke,  and  threw  it  on  the  table. 

For  her  only  answer,  Finette  leaped  out  of  the  window,  and 
ran  to  the  stable.  The  seneschal  pursued  her  thither;  but, 
on  attempting  to  enter  an  unexpected  obstacle  stopped  him. 
The  frightened  cow  had  backed  at  the  sight  of  the  young 
girl,  and  stood  in  the  doorway  with  Finette  clinging  to  her 
horns,  and  making  of  her  a  sort  of  buckler. 

'  You  shall  not  escape  me,  sorceress !  "  cried  the  seneschal, 
and,  with  a  grasp  like  that  of  Hercules,  he  seized  the  cow 
by  the  tail  and  dragged  her  out  of  the  stable. 

"Abracadabra!"  cried  Finette.  "May  the  cow's  tail  hold 
you,  villain,  and  may  you  hold  the  cow's  tail  till  you  have 
both  been  around  the  world  together." 

And  behold!  the  cow  darted  off  like  lightning,  dragging  the 
unhappy  seneschal  after  her.  Nothing  stopped  the  two  in 
separable  comrades;  they  rushed  over  mountains  and  val 
leys,  crossed  marshes,  rivers,  quagmires,  and  brakes,  glided 
over  the  seas  without  sinking,  were  frozen  in  Siberia  and 
scorched  in  Africa,  climbed  the  Himalayas,  descended  Mont 
Blanc,  and  at  length  after  thirty-six  hours  of  a  journey,  the 
like  of  which  had  never  been  seen,  both  stopped  out  of  breath 
in  the  public  square  of  the  village. 

A  seneschal  harnessed  to  a  cow's  tail  is  a  sight  not  to  be 
seen  every  day,  and  all  the  peasants  in  the  neighborhood 
crowded  together  to  wonder  at  the  spectacle.  But,  torn  as 
he  was  by  the  cactuses  of  Barbary  and  the  thickets  of  Tartary, 
the  seneschal  had  lost  nothing  of  his  haughty  air.  With  a 
threatening  gesture  he  dispersed  the  rabble,  and  limped  to 
his  house  to  taste  the  repose  of  which  he  began  to  feel  the 
need. 

VI 

WHILE  the  steward,  the  bailiff,  and  the  seneschal  were  ex 
periencing  these  little  unpleasantnesses,  of  which  they  did 
not  think  it  proper  to  boast,  preparations  were  being  made 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

for  a  great  event  at  Kerver  Castle,  namely,  the  marriage  of 
Yvon  and  the  fair-haired  lady.  Two  days  had  passed  in  these 
preparations,  and  all  the  friends  of  the  family  had  gathered 
together  for  twenty  leagues  round,  when  one  fine  morning 
Yvon  and  his  bride,  with  the  Baron  and  Baroness  Kerver, 
took  their  seats  in  a  great  carriage  adorned  with  flowers,  and 
set  out  for  the  celebrated  church  of  St.  Maclou. 

A  hundred  knights,  in  full  armor,  mounted  on  horses 
decked  with  ribbons,  rode  on  each  side  of  the  betrothed 
couple,  each  with  his  visor  raised  and  his  lance  at  rest  in  token 
of  honor.  By  the  side  of  each  baron,  a  squire,  also  on  horse 
back,  carried  the  seigniorial  banner.  At  the  head  of  the  pro 
cession  rode  the  seneschal  with  a  gilded  staff  in  his  hand.  Be 
hind  the  carriage  gravely  walked  the  bailiff,  followed  by  the 
vassals,  while  the  steward  railed  at  the  serfs,  a  noisy  and 
curious  rabble. 

As  they  were  crossing  a  brook  a  league  from  the  castle, 
one  of  the  traces  of  the  carriage  broke,  and  they  were  forced 
to  stop.  The  accident  repaired,  the  coachman  cracked  his 
whip,  and  the  horses  started  with  such  force  that  the  new 
trace  broke  in  three  pieces.  Six  times  this  provoking  piece 
of  wood  was  replaced,  and  six  times  it  broke  anew  without 
drawing  the  carriage  from  the  hole  where  it  was  wedged. 

Everyone  had  a  word  of  advice  to  offer;  even  the  peasants, 
as  wheelwrights  and  carpenters,  were  not  the  last  to  make  a 
show  of  their  knowledge.  This  gave  the  steward  courage; 
he  approached  the  Baron,  took  off  his  cap,  and,  scratching  his 
head: 

"  My  lord,"  said  he,  "  in  the  house  that  you  see  shining 
yonder  among  the  trees  there  lives  a  woman  who  does  things 
such  as  nobody  else  can  do.  Only  persuade  her  to  lend  you 
her  tongs,  and,  in  my  humble  opinion,  they  will  hold  till 
morning." 

The  Baron  made  a  sign,  and  ten  peasants  ran  to  the  cot 
tage  of  Finette,  who  very  obligingly  lent  them  her  gold 
tongs.  They  were  put  in  the  place  of  the  trace;  the  coach 
man  cracked  his  whip,  and  off  went  the  carriage  like  a  feather. 

[132] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Everyone  rejoiced,  but  the  joy  did  not  last  long.  A  hun 
dred  steps  farther,  lo!  the  bottom  of  the  carriage  gave  way; 
little  more  and  the  noble  Kerver  family  would  have  sunk  quite 
out  of  sight.  The  wheelwrights  and  the  carpenters  set  to 
work  at  once;  they  sawed  planks,  nailed  them  down  fast,  and 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  repaired  the  accident.  The  coach 
man  cracked  his  whip,  and  the  horses  started,  when  behold! 
half  of  the  carriage  was  left  behind;  the  Baroness  Kerver  sat 
motionless  by  the  side  of  the  bride,  while  Yvon  and  the  Baron 
were  carried  off  at  full  gallop.  Here  was  a  new  difficulty. 
Three  times  was  the  carriage  mended;  three  times  it  broke 
anew.  There  was  every  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  en 
chanted. 

Everyone  had  a  word  of  advice  to  offer.  This  gave  the 
bailiff  courage.  He  approached  the  Baron,  and  said  in  a  low 
tone: 

"  My  lord,  in  the  house  that  you  see  shining  yonder  among 
the  trees,  there  lives  a  woman  who  does  things  such  as  nobody 
else  can  do.  Only  persuade  her  to  lend  you  her  door  for 
the  bottom  of  the  carriage,  and,  in  my  opinion,  it  will  hold 
till  morning." 

The  Baron  made  a  sign,  and  twenty  peasants  ran  to  the 
cottage  of  Finette,  who  very  obligingly  lent  them  her  gold 
door.  They  put  it  in  the  bottom  of  the  carriage  where  it 
fitted  as  if  it  had  been  made  expressly  for  it.  The  party 
took  their  seats  in  the  carriage,  the  coachman  cracked  his 
whip,  the  church  was  in  sight,  and  all  the  troubles  of  the 
journey  seemed  ended. 

Not  at  all!  Suddenly  the  horses  stopped,  and  refused  to 
draw.  There  were  four  of  them.  Six,  eight,  ten,  twenty- 
four  more  were  put  to  the  carriage,  but  all  in  vain;  it  was 
impossible  to  stir  them.  The  more  they  were  whipped  the 
deeper  the  wheels  sunk  into  the  ground  like  the  colter  of 
a  plow. 

What  were  they  to  do?  To  go  on  foot  would  have  been  a 
disgrace.  To  mount  a  horse  and  ride  to  the  church  like 
simple  peasants,  was  not  the  custom  of  the  Kervers.  They 

[133] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

tried  to  lift  the  carriage,  they  pushed  the  wheels,  they  shook 
it,  they  pulled  it,  but  all  in  vain.  Meanwhile  the  day  was  de 
clining,  and  the  hour  for  the  marriage  had  passed. 

Everyone  had  a  word  of  advice  to  offer.  This  gave  the  sen 
eschal  courage.  He  approached  the  Baron,  alighted  from  his 
horse,  raised  his  velvet  cap,  and  said: 

"  My  lord,  in  the  house  that  you  see  shining  yonder  among 
the  trees,  there  lives  a  woman  who  does  things  such  as  no 
body  else  can  do.  Only  persuade  her  to  lend  you  her  cow 
to  draw  the  carriage,  and,  in  my  opinion,  she  will  draw  it  till 
morning." 

The  Baron  made  a  sign,  and  thirty  peasants  ran  to  the  cot 
tage  of  Finette,  who  very  obligingly  lent  them  her  golden- 
horned  cow. 

To  go  to  church  drawn  by  a  cow  was  not,  perhaps,  what 
the  ambitious  bride  had  dreamed  of,  but  it  was  better  than 
to  remain  unmarried  in  the  road.  The  heifer  was  har 
nessed  therefore  before  the  horses,  and  everybody  looked  on 
anxiously  to  see  what  this  boasted  animal  was  capable  of 
doing. 

But  before  the  coachman  had  time  to  crack  his  whip,  lo! 
the  cow  started  off  as  if  she  were  about  to  go  around  the 
world  anew.  Horses,  carriage,  Baron,  betrothed,  coachman, 
all  were  hurried  away  by  the  furious  animal.  In  vain  the 
knights  spurred  their  horses  to  follow  the  pair;  in  vain  the 
peasants  ran  at  full  speed,  taking  the  crossroad  and  cutting 
across  the  meadows.  The  carriage  flew  as  if  it  had  wings;  a 
pigeon  could  not  have  followed  it. 

On  reaching  the  door  of  the  church  the  party,  a  little  dis 
turbed  by  this  rapid  journey,  would  not  have  been  sorry  to 
alight.  Everything  was  ready  for  the  ceremony,  and  the 
bridal  pair  had  long  been  expected;  but,  instead  of  stopping, 
the  cow  redoubled  her  speed.  Thirteen  times  she  ran  round 
the  church  like  lightning,  then  suddenly  made  her  way  in  a 
straight  line  across  the  fields  to  the  castle  with  such  force 
that  the  whole  party  were  almost  shaken  to  pieces  before  their 
arrival. 

[134] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

VII 

No  more  marriage  was  to  be  thought  of  for  that  day ;  but 
the  tables  were  set  and  the  dinner  served,  and  the  Baron 
Kerver  was  too  noble  a  knight  to  take  leave  of  his  brave 
Bretons  until  they  had  eaten  and  drunk  according  to  custom 
— that  is,  from  sunset  till  sunrise,  and  even  a  little  later. 

Orders  were  given  for  the  guests  to  take  their  seats. 
Ninety-six  tables  were  ranged  in  eight  rows.  In  front  of 
them,  on  a  large  platform  covered  with  velvet,  with  a  canopy 
in  the  middle,  was  a  table  larger  than  the  rest,  and  loaded 
with  fruit  and  flowers,  to  say  nothing  of  the  roast  hares  and 
the  peacocks  smoking  beneath  their  plumage.  At  this  table 
the  bridal  pair  were  to  have  been  seated  in  full  sight  in  order 
that  nothing  might  be  lacking  to  the  pleasures  of  the  feast, 
and  that  the  meanest  peasant  might  have  the  honor  of  salut 
ing  them  by  emptying  his  cup  of  hydromel  to  the  honor  and 
prosperity  of  the  high  and  mighty  house  of  Kerver. 

The  Baron  seated  the  hundred  knights  at  his  table,  and 
placed  their  squires  behind  their  chairs  to  serve  them.  At 
his  right  he  put  the  bride  and  Yvon,  but  he  left  the  seat  at 
his  left  vacant,  and,  calling  a  page,  "  Child,"  said  he,  "  run  to 
the  house  of  the  stranger  lady  who  obliged  us  only  too  much 
this  morning.  It  was  not  her  fault  if  her  success  exceeded  her 
good  will.  Tell  her  that  the  Baron  Kerver  thanks  her  for 
her  help,  and  invites  her  to  the  wedding  feast  of  his  son 
Lord  Yvon." 

On  reaching  the  golden  house,  where  Finette  in  tears  was 
mourning  for  her  beloved,  the  page  bent  one  knee  to  the 
ground,  and,  in  the  Baron's  name,  invited  the  stranger  lady 
to  the  castle  to  do  honor  to  the  wedding  of  Lord  Yvon. 

"  Thank  your  master  for  me,"  answered  the  young  girl 
proudly,  "  and  tell  him  that  if  he  is  too  noble  to  come  to  my 
house  I  am  too  noble  to  go  to  his." 

When  the  page  repeated  this  answer  to  his  master  the  Baron 
Kerver  struck  the  table  such  a  blow  that  three  plates  flew  into 
the  air. 

[135] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

11  By  my  honor,"  said  he,  "  this  is  spoken  like  a  lady, 
and,  for  the  first  time,  I  own  myself  beaten.  Quick,  saddle 
my  dun  mare,  and  let  my  knights  and  squires  prepare  to 
attend  me." 

It  was  with  this  brilliant  train  that  the  Baron  alighted  at 
the  door  of  the  golden  cottage.  He  begged  Finette's  pardon, 
held  the  stirrup  for  her,  and  seated  her  behind  him  on  his 
own  horse,  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  duchess  in  person. 
Through  respect  he  did  not  speak  a  single  word  to  her  on  the 
way.  On  reaching  the  castle,  he  uncovered  his  head  and  led 
her  to  the  seat  of  honor  that  he  had  chosen  for  her. 

The  Baron's  departure  had  made  a  great  excitement,  and 
his  return  caused  still  greater  surprise.  Everyone  asked  who 
the  lady  could  be  that  the  Baron  treated  with  such  respect. 
Judging  from  her  costume  she  was  a  foreigner;  could  she  be 
the  Duchess  of  Normandy  or  the  Queen  of  France?  The 
steward,  the  bailiff,  and  the  seneschal  were  appealed  to.  The 
steward  trembled,  the  bailiff  turned  pale,  and  the  seneschal 
blushed,  but  all  three  were  as  mute  as  fishes.  The  silence  of 
these  important  personages  added  to  the  general  wonder. 

All  eyes  were  fixed  on  Finette,  who  felt  a  deadly  chill  at 
her  heart,  for  Yvon  saw  but  did  not  know  her.  He  cast  an 
indifferent  glance  at  her,  then  began  again  to  talk  in  a  tender 
tone  to  the  fair-haired  lady,  who  smiled  disdainfully. 

Finette,  in  despair,  took  from  the  purse  the  golden  bullet, 
her  last  hope.  While  talking  with  the  Baron,  who  was 
charmed  with  her  wit,  she  shook  the  little  ball  in  her  hand,  and 
repeated  in  a  whisper: 

"  Golden  bullet,  precious  treasure, 
Save  me,  if  it  be  thy  pleasure." 

And  behold,  the  bullet  grew  larger  and  larger  until  it  became 
a  goblet  of  chased  gold,  the  most  beautiful  cup  that  ever 
graced  the  table  of  baron  or  king. 

Finette  filled  the  cup  herself  with  spiced  wine,  and  calling 
the  seneschal,  who  was  cowering  behind  her,  she  said  in  her 
gentlest  tones,  "  My  good  seneschal,  I  entreat  you  to  offer 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

this  goblet  to  Lord  Yvon.  I  wish  to  drink  his  health,  and  I 
am  sure  that  he  will  not  refuse  me  this  pleasure." 

Yvon  took  the  goblet,  which  the  seneschal  presented  to 
him  on  a  salver  of  enamel  and  gold,  with  a  careless  hand, 
bowed  to  the  stranger,  drank  the  wine,  and,  setting  the  cup  on 
the  table  before  him,  turned  to  the  fair-haired  lady  who  occu 
pied  all  his  thoughts.  The  lady  seemed  anxious  and  vexed. 
He  whispered  a  few  words  in  her  ear  that  seemed  to  please  her, 
for  her  eyes  sparkled,  and  she  placed  her  hand  again  in  his. 

Finette  cast  down  her  head  and  began  to  weep.  All  was 
over. 

"  Children,"  cried  the  Baron,  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  "  fill 
your  glasses.  Let  us  all  drink  to  the  noble  stranger  who 
honors  us  with  her  presence.  '  To  the  lovely  lady  of  the 
golden  cottage ! ' ' 

All  began  to  huzzah  and  drink.  Yvon  contented  himself 
with  raising  his  goblet  to  a  level  with  his  eyes.  Suddenly  he 
started  and  stood  mute,  his  mouth  open  and  his  eyes  fixed,  like 
a  man  who  has  a  vision. 

It  was  a  vision.  In  the  gold  of  the  goblet  Yvon  saw  his 
past  life  as  in  a  mirror :  the  giant  pursuing  him ;  Finette  drag 
ging  him  along;  both  embarking  in  the  ship  that  saved  them; 
both  landing  on  the  shore  of  Brittany;  he  quitting  her  for  an 
instant;  she  weeping  at  his  departure.  Where  was  she?  By 
his  side,  of  course.  What  other  woman  than  Finette  could  be 
by  the  side  of  Yvon? 

He  turned  toward  the  fair-haired  lady,  and  cried  out  like  a 
man  treading  on  a  serpent.  Then,  staggering  as  if  he  were 
drunk,  he  rose  and  looked  around  him  with  haggard  eyes.  At 
the  sight  of  Finette  he  clasped  his  trembling  hands,  and,  drag 
ging  himself  toward  her,  fell  on  his  knees  and  exclaimed, 
"  Finette,  forgive  me!  " 

To  forgive  is  the  height  of  happiness.  Before  evening 
Finette  was  seated  by  the  side  of  Yvon,  both  weeping  and 
smiling. 

And  what  became  of  the  fair-haired  lady?  No  one  knows. 
At  the  cry  of  Yvon  she  disappeared;  but  it  was  said  that  a 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

wretched  old  hag  was  seen  flying  on  a  broomstick  over  the 
castle  walls,  chased  by  the  dogs ;  and  it  was  the  common  opin 
ion  among  the  Kervers  that  the  fair-haired  lady  was  none  other 
than  the  witch,  the  godmother  of  the  giant.  I  am  not  sure 
enough  of  the  fact,  however,  to  dare  warrant  it.  It  is  always 
prudent  to  believe,  without  proof,  that  a  woman  may  be  a 
witch,  but  it  is  never  wise  to  say  so. 

What  I  can  say  on  the  word  of  an  historian  is  that  the  feast, 
interrupted  for  a  moment,  went  on  gayer  than  ever.  Early 
the  next  morning  they  went  to  the  church,  where,  to  the  joy 
of  his  heart,  Yvon  married  Finette,  who  was  no  longer  afraid 
of  evil  spirits;  after  which  they  ate,  drank,  and  danced  for 
thirty-six  hours,  without  anyone  thinking  of  resting.  The 
steward's  arms  were  a  little  heavy,  the  bailiff  rubbed  his  back 
at  times,  and  the  seneschal  felt  a  sort  of  weariness  in  his  limbs, 
but  all  three  had  a  weight  on  their  consciences  which  they 
could  not  shake  off,  and  which  made  them  tremble  and  flutter, 
till  finally  they  fell  on  the  ground  and  were  carried  off.  Finette 
took  no  other  vengeance  on  them ;  her  only  desire  was  to  ren 
der  all  happy  around  her,  far  and  near,  who  belonged  to  the 
noble  house  of  Kerver.  Her  memory  still  lives  in  Brittany; 
and,  among  the  ruins  of  the  old  castle,  anyone  will  show  you 
the  statue  of  the  good  lady,  with  five  bullets  in  her  hand. 


The    Fair    One   with    Golden    Locks 

rHERE  was  once  a  king's  daughter  so  beautiful  that 
they  named  her  the  Fair  One  with   Golden   Locks. 
These  golden  locks  were  the  most  remarkable  in  the 
world,  soft  and  fine,  and  falling  in  long  waves  down  to  her  very 
feet.     She  wore  them  always  thus,  loose  and  flowing,  sur 
mounted  with  a  wreath  of  flowers ;  and  though  such  long  hair 
was   sometimes    rather  inconvenient,    it   was   so   exceedingly 
beautiful,  shining  in  the  sun  like  ripples  of  molten  gold,  that 
everybody  agreed  she  fully  deserved  her  name. 

[138] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Now  there  was  a  young  king  of  a  neighboring  country,  very 
handsome,  very  rich,  and  wanting  nothing  but  a  wife  to  make 
him  happy.  He  heard  so  much  of  the  various  perfections  of 
the  Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks  that  at  last,  without  even 
seeing  her,  he  fell  in  love  with  her  so  desperately  that  he  could 
neither  eat  nor  drink,  and  resolved  to  send  an  ambassador  at 
once  to  demand  her  in  marriage.  So  he  ordered  a  magnificent 
equipage — more  than  a  hundred  horses  and  a  hundred  foot 
men — in  order  to  bring  back  to  him  the  Fair  One  with  Golden 
Locks,  who,  he  never  doubted,  would  be  only  too  happy  to 
become  his  queen.  Indeed,  he  felt  so  sure  of  her  that  he  refur 
nished  the  whole  palace,  and  had  made,  by  all  the  dressmakers 
of  the  city,  dresses  enough  to  last  a  lady  for  a  lifetime.  But, 
alas !  when  the  ambassador  arrived  and  delivered  his  message, 
either  the  princess  was  in  a  bad  humor  or  the  offer  did  not 
appear  to  be  to  her  taste,  for  she  returned  her  best  thanks  to 
his  majesty,  but  said  she  had  not  the  slightest  wish  or  intention 
to  be  married.  She  also,  being  a  prudent  damsel,  declined 
receiving  any  of  the  presents  which  the  King  had  sent  her; 
except  that,  not  quite  to  offend  his  majesty,  she  retained  a  box 
of  English  pins,  which  were  in  that  country  of  considerable 
value. 

When  the  ambassador  returned,  alone  and  unsuccessful,  all 
the  court  was  very  much  affected,  and  the  King  himself  began 
to  weep  with  all  his  might.  Now,  there  was  in  the  palace 
household  a  young  gentleman  named  Avenant,  beautiful  as 
the  sun,  besides  being  at  once  so  amiable  and  so  wise  that  the 
King  confided  to  him  all  his  affairs ;  and  everyone  loved  him, 
except  those  people — to  be  found  in  all  courts — who  were  en 
vious  of  his  good  fortune.  Thes^  malicious  folk  hearing  him 
say  gayly,  "  If  the  King  had  sent  me  to  fetch  the  Fair  One  with 
Golden  Locks,  I  know  she  would  have  come  back  with  me," 
repeated  the  saying  in  such  a  manner  that  it  appeared  as  if 
Avenant  thought  overmuch  of  himself  and  his  beauty,  and  felt 
sure  the  Princess  would  have  followed  him  all  over  the  world ; 
which,  when  it  came  to  the  ears  of  the  King,  as  it  was  meant 
to  do,  irritated  him  so  much  that  he  commanded  Avenant  to 

[139] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

be  imprisoned  in  a  high  tower,  and  left  to  die  there  of  hunger. 
The  guards  accordingly  carried  off  the  young  man,  who  had 
quite  forgotten  his  idle  speech,  and  had  not  the  least  idea  what 
fault  he  had  committed.  They  ill-treated  him  very  much  and 
then  left  him,  with  nothing  to  eat  and  only  water  to  drink. 
This,  however,  kept  him  alive  for  a  few  days,  during  which 
he  did  not  cease  to  complain  aloud,  and  to  call  upon  the  King, 
saying,  "  O  King,  what  harm  have  I  done  ?  You  have  no  sub 
ject  more  faithful  than  I.  Never  have  I  had  a  thought  which 
could  offend  you." 

And  it  so  befell  that  the  King,  coming  by  chance,  or  else 
from  a  sense  of  remorse,  past  the  tower,  was  touched  by  the 
voice  of  the  young  Avenant,  whom  he  had  once  so  much  re 
garded.  In  spite  of  all  the  courtiers  could  do  to  prevent  him, 
he  stopped  to  listen,  and  overheard  these  words.  The  tears 
rushed  into  his  eyes;  he  opened  the  door  of  the  tower  and 
called,  "Avenant!"  Avenant  came,  creeping  feebly  along, 
fell  at  the  King's  knees,  and  kissed  his  feet: 

"  O  sire,  what  have  I  done  that  you  should  treat  me  so 
cruelly?" 

"  You  have  mocked  me  and  my  ambassador ;  for  you  said 
if  I  had  sent  you  to  fetch  the  Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks, 
you  would  have  been  successful  and  brought  her  back." 

"  I  did  say  it,  and  it  was  true,"  replied  Avenant  fearlessly ; 
"  for  I  should  have  told  her  so  much  about  your  majesty  and 
your  various  high  qualities,  which  no  one  knows  so  well  as 
myself,  that  I  am  persuaded  she  would  have  returned  with  me." 

"  I  believe  it,"  said  the  King,  with  an  angry  look  at  those 
who  had  spoken  ill  of  his  favorite;  he  then  gave  Avenant  a 
free  pardon,  and  took  him  back  with  him  to  the  court. 

After  having  supplied  the  famished  youth  with  as  much 
supper  as  he  could  eat,  the  King  admitted  him  to  a  private 
audience  and  said:  "  I  am  as  much  in  love  as  ever  with  the 
Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks,  so  I  will  take  thee  at  thy  word, 
and  send  thee  to  try  and  win  her  for  me." 

"  Very  well,  please  your  majesty,"  replied  Avenant  cheer 
fully  ;  "  I  will  depart  to-morrow." 

[140] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

The  King,  overjoyed  with  his  willingness  and  hopefulness, 
would  have  furnished  him  with  a  still  more  magnificent  equi 
page  and  suite  than  the  first  ambassador,  but  Avenant  refused 
to  take  anything  except  a  good  horse  to  ride  and  letters  of 
introduction  to  the  Princess's  father.  The  King  embraced  him 
and  eagerly  saw  him  depart. 

It  was  on  a  Monday  morning  when,  without  any  pomp  or 
show,  Avenant  thus  started  on  his  mission.  He  rode  slowly 
and  meditatively,  pondering  over  every  possible  means  of  per 
suading  the  Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks  to  marry  the  King ; 
but,  even  after  several  days'  journey  toward  her  country,  no 
clear  project  had  entered  into  his  mind.  One  morning,  when 
he  had  started  at  break  of  day,  he  came  to  a  great  meadow 
with  a  stream  running  through  it,  along  which  were  planted 
willows  and  poplars.  It  was  such  a  pleasant,  rippling  stream 
that  he  dismounted  and  sat  down  on  its  banks.  There  he  per 
ceived,  gasping  on  the  grass,  a  large  golden  carp,  which,  in 
leaping  too  far  after  gnats,  had  thrown  itself  quite  out  of  the 
water,  and  now  lay  dying  on  the  greensward.  Avenant  took 
pity  on  it,  and  though  he  was  very  hungry,  and  the  fish  was 
very  fat,  and  he  would  well  enough  have  liked  it  for  his  break 
fast,  still  he  lifted  it  gently  and  put  it  back  into  the  stream. 
No  sooner  had  the  carp  touched  the  fresh  cool  water  than  it 
revived  and  swam  away ;  but  shortly  returning,  it  spoke  to 
him  from  the  water  in  this  wise : 

"  Avenant,  I  thank  you  for  your  good  deed.  I  was  dying, 
and  you  have  saved  me.  I  will  recompense  you  for  this  one 
day." 

After  this  pretty  little  speech,  the  fish  popped  down 
to  the  bottom  of  the  stream,  according  to  the  habit  of 
carp,  leaving  Avenant  very  much  astonished,  as  was  nat 
ural. 

Another  day  he  met  with  a  raven  that  was  in  great  dis 
tress,  being  pursued  by  an  eagle,  which  would  have  swallowed 
him  up  in  no  time.  "  See,"  thought  Avenant,  "  how  the 
stronger  oppress  the  weaker!  What  right  has  an  eagle  to 
eat  up  a  raven?"  So  taking  his  bow  and  arrow,  which  he 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

always  carried,  he  shot  the  eagle  dead,  and  the  raven,  de 
lighted,  perched  in  safety  on  an  opposite  tree. 

"  Avenant,"  screeched  he,  though  not  in  the  sweetest  voice 
in  the  world ;  "  you  have  generously  succored  me,  a  poor  mis 
erable  raven.  I  am  not  ungrateful,  and  I  will  recompense  you 
one  day." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Avenant,  and  continued  his  road. 

Entering  in  a  thick  wood,  so  dark  with  the  shadows  of 
early  morning  that  he  could  scarcely  find  his  way,  he  heard 
an  owl  hooting,  as  if  in  great  tribulation.  She  had  been 
caught  by  the  nets  spread  by  birdcatchers  to  entrap  finches, 
larks,  and  other  small  birds.  "  What  a  pity,"  thought 
Avenant,  "  that  men  must  always  torment  poor  birds  and 
beasts  who  have  done  them  no  harm !  "  So  he  took  out  his 
knife,  cut  the  net,  and  let  the  owl  go  free.  She  went  sailing  up 
into  the  air,  but  immediately  returned,  hovering  over  his  head 
on  her  brown  wings. 

"  Avenant,"  said  she,  "  at  daylight  the  birdcatchers 
would  have  been  here,  and  I  should  have  been  caught  and 
killed.  I  have  a  grateful  heart;  I  will  recompense  you  one 
day." 

These  were  the  three  principal  adventures  that  befell  Ave 
nant  on  his  way  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Fair  One  with  Golden 
Locks.  Arrived  there,  he  dressed  himself  with  the  greatest 
care,  in  a  habit  of  silver  brocade,  and  a  hat  adorned  with 
plumes  of  scarlet  and  white.  He  threw  over  all  a  rich  man 
tle,  and  carried  a  little  basket  in  which  was  a  lovely  little  dog, 
an  offering  of  respect  to  the  Princess.  With  this  he  presented 
himself  at  the  palace  gates,  where,  even  though  he  came  alone, 
his  mien  was  so  dignified  and  graceful,  so  altogether  charm 
ing,  that  everyone  did  him  reverence,  and  was  eager  to  run 
and  tell  the  Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks  that  Avenant, 
another  ambassador  from  the  King  her  suitor,  awaited  an 
audience. 

"  Avenant !  "  repeated  the  Princess.  "  That  is  a  pretty 
name ;  perhaps  the  youth  is  pretty  too." 

"  So  beautiful,"  said  the  ladies  of  honor,  "  that  while  he 

[142] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

stood  under  the  palace  window  we  could  do  nothing  but  look 
at  him." 

"  How  silly  of  you !  "  sharply  said  the  Princess.  But  she 
desired  them  to  bring  her  robe  of  blue  satin,  to  comb  out  her 
long  hair  and  adorn  it  with  the  freshest  garland  of  flowers, 
to  give  her  her  high-heeled  shoes,  and  her  fan.  "  Also,"  added 
she,  "  take  care  that  my  audience  chamber  is  well  swept  and 
my  throne  well  dusted.  I  wish  in  everything  to  appear  as  be 
comes  the  Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks." 

This  done,  she  seated  herself  on  her  throne  of  ivory  and 
ebony,  and  gave  orders  for  her  musicians  to  play,  but  softly, 
so  as  not  to  disturb  conversation.  Thus,  shining  in  all  her 
beauty,  she  admitted  Avenant  to  her  presence. 

He  was  so  dazzled  that  at  first  he  could  not  speak ;  then  he 
began  and  delivered  his  harangue  to  perfection. 

"  Gentle  Avenant,"  returned  the  princess,  after  listening  to 
all  his  reasons  for  her  returning  with  him,  "  your  arguments 
are  very  strong,  and  I  am  inclined  to  listen  to  them ;  but  you 
must  first  find  for  me  a  ring  which  I  dropped  into  the  river 
about  a  month  ago.  Until  I  recover  it  I  can  listen  to  no 
propositions  of  marriage." 

Avenant,  surprised  and  disturbed,  made  her  a  profound 
reverence  and  retired,  taking  with  him  the  basket  and  the 
little  dog  Cabriole,  which  she  refused  to  accept.  All  night 
long  he  sat  sighing  to  himself:  "  How  can  I  ever  find  a  ring 
which  she  dropped  into  the  river  a  month  ago?  She  has  set 
me  an  impossibility." 

"  My  dear  master,"  said  Cabriole,  "  nothing  is  an  impos 
sibility  to  one  so  young  and  charming  as  you  are.  Let  us 
go  at  daybreak  to  the  riverside." 

Avenant  patted  him,  but  replied  nothing ;  until,  worn  out 
with  grief,  he  slept.  Before  dawn  Cabriole  wakened  him, 
saying,  "  Master,  dress  yourself  and  let  us  go  to  the  river." 

There  Avenant  walked  up  and  down,  with  his  arms  folded 
and  his  head  bent,  but  saw  nothing.  At  last  he  heard  a  voice 
calling  from  a  distance,  "Avenant,  Avenant!" 

The  little  dog  ran  to  the  waterside — "  Never  believe   me 

[143] 


THE    FAIRT  RING 

again,  master,  if  it  is  not  a  golden  carp  with  a  ring  in  its 
mouth !  " 

"  Yes,  Avenant,"  said  the  carp,  "  this  is  the  ring  which  the 
Princess  has  lost.  You  saved  my  life  in  the  willow  meadow, 
and  I  have  recompensed  you.  Farewell !  " 

Avenant  took  the, ring  gratefully  and  returned  to  the  palace 
with  Cabriole,  who  scampered  about  in  great  glee.  Craving 
an  audience,  he  presented  the  Princess  with  her  ring,  and 
begged  her  to  accompany  him  to  his  master's  kingdom.  She 
took  the  ring,  looked  at  it,  and  thought  she  was  surely 
dreaming. 

"  Some  fairy  must  have  assisted  you,  fortunate  Avenant/' 
said  she. 

"  Madam,  I  am  fortunate  only  in  my  desire  to  obey  your 
wishes." 

"  Obey  me  still,"  she  said  graciously.  "  There  is  a  prince 
named  Galifron,  whose  suit  I  have  refused.  He  is  a  giant 
as  tall  as  a  tower,  who  eats  a  man  as  a  monkey  eats  a  nut. 
He  puts  cannons  into  his  pockets  instead  of  pistols,  and  when 
he  speaks  his  voice  is  so  loud  that  everyone  near  him  becomes 
deaf.  Go  and  fight  him,  and  bring  me  his  head." 

Avenant  was  thunderstruck ;  but  after  a  time  he  recovered 
himself.  "  Very  well,  madam.  I  shall  certainly  perish,  but 
I  will  perish  like  a  brave  man.  I  will  depart  at  once  to  fight 
the  Giant  Galifron." 

The  Princess,  now  in  her  turn  surprised  and  alarmed,  tried 
every  persuasion  to  induce  him  not  to  go,  but  in  vain.  Ave 
nant  armed  himself  and  started,  carrying  his  little  dog  in  its 
basket.  Cabriole  was  the  only  creature  that  gave  him  con 
solation  :  "  Courage,  master !  While  you  attack  the  giant, 
I  will  bite  his  legs.  He  will  stoop  down  to  strike  me,  and 
then  you  can  knock  him  on  the  head."  Avenant  smiled  at  the 
little  dog's  spirit,  but  he  knew  it  was  useless. 

Arrived  at  the  castle  of  Galifron,  he  found  the  road  all  strewn 
with  bones  and  carcasses  of  men.  Soon  he  saw  the  giant 
walking.  His  head  was  level  with  the  highest  trees,  and  he 
sang  in  a  terrific  voice : 

[144] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

"  Bring  me  babies  to  devour; 
More — more — more — more — 
Men  and  women,  tender  and  tough ; 
All  the  world  holds  not  enough." 

To  which  Avenant  replied,  imitating  the  tune : 

"  Avenant  you  here  may  see, 
He  is  come  to  punish  thee ; 
Be  he  tender,  be  he  tough, 
To  kill  thee,  giant,  he  is  enough." 

Hearing  these  words,  the  giant  took  up  his  massive  club, 
looked  around  for  the  singer,  and,  perceiving  him,  would 
have  slain  him  on  the  spot,  had  not  a  raven,  sitting  on  a  tree 
close  by,  suddenly  flown  down  upon  him  and  picked  out  both 
his  eyes.  Then  Avenant  easily  killed  him  and  cut  off  his  head, 
while  the  raven,  watching  him,  said: 

"  You  shot  the  eagle  who  was  pursuing  me.  I  promised 
to  recompense  you,  and  to-day  I  have  done  it.  We  are  quits." 

"  No,  it  is  I  who  am  your  debtor,  Sir  Raven,"  replied  Ave 
nant  as,  hanging  the  frightful  head  to  his  saddle  bow,  he 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  back  to  the  city  of  the  Fair  One 
with  Golden  Locks. 

There  everybody  followed  him,  shouting,  "  Here  is  brave 
Avenant,  who  has  killed  the  giant,"  until  the  Princess,  hearing 
the  noise,  and  fearing  it  was  Avenant  himself  who  was  killed, 
appeared,  all  trembling ;  and  even  when  he  appeared  with  Gali- 
f ron's  head,  she  trembled  still,  although  she  had  nothing  to  fear. 

"  Madam,"  said  Avenant,  "  your  enemy  is  dead,  so  I  trust 
you  will  accept  the  hand  of  the  king,  my  master." 

"  I  cannot,"  replied  she,  thoughtfully,  "  unless  you  first  bring 
me  a  vial  of  the  water  in  the  Grotto  of  Darkness.  It  is  six 
leagues  in  length,  and  guarded  at  the  entrance  by  two  fiery 
dragons.  Within  it  is  a  pit,  full  of  scorpions,  lizards,  and 
serpents,  and  at  the  bottom  of  this  place  flows  the  Fountain 
of  Beauty  and  Health.  All  who  wash  in  it  become,  if  ugly, 
beautiful;  and  if  beautiful,  beautiful  forever;  if  old,  young; 
and  if  young,  young  forever.  Judge  then,  Avenant,  if  I  can 

[  US  I 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

quit  my  kingdom  without  carrying  with  me  some  of  this 
miraculous  water." 

"  Madam,"  replied  Avenant,  "  you  are  already  so  beautiful 
that  you  require  it  not;  but  I  am  an  unfortunate  ambassador 
whose  death  you  desire.  I  will  obey  you,  though  I  know  I 
shall  never  return." 

So  he  departed  with  his  only  friends — his  horse  and  his  faith 
ful  dog  Cabriole ;  while  all  who  met  him  looked  at  him  compas 
sionately,  pitying  so  pretty  a  youth  bound  on  such  a  hopeless 
errand.  But,  however  kindly  they  addressed  him,  Avenant 
rode  on  and  answered  nothing,  for  he  was  too  sad  at  heart. 

He  reached  a  mountain-side,  where  he  sat  down  to  rest, 
leaving  his  horse  to  graze  and  Cabriole  to  run  after  the  flies. 
He  knew  that  the  Grotto  of  Darkness  was  not  far  off,  yet  he 
looked  about  him  like  one  who  sees  nothing.  At  last  he  per 
ceived  a  rock  as  black  as  ink,  whence  came  a  thick  smoke ;  and 
in  a  moment  appeared  one  of  the  two  dragons,  breathing  out 
flames.  It  had  a  yellow-and-green  body,  claws,  and  a  long 
tail.  When  Cabriole  saw  the  monster,  the  poor  little  dog 
hid  himself  in  terrible  fright.  But  Avenant  resolved  to  die 
bravely ;  so  taking  a  vial  which  the  Princess  had  given  him, 
he  prepared  to  descend  into  the  cave. 

"  Cabriole,"  said  he,  "  I  shall  soon  be  dead.  Then  fill  this 
vial  with  my  blood  and  carry  it  to  the  Fair  One  with  Golden 
Locks,  and  afterwards  to  the  King  my  master,  to  show  him  I 
have  been  faithful  to  the  last." 

While  he  was  thus  speaking  a  voice  called,  "  Avenant,  Ave 
nant  ! "  and  he  saw  an  owl  sitting  on  a  hollow  tree.  Said  the 
owl :  "  You  cut  the  net  in  which  I  was  caught,  and  I  vowed 
to  recompense  you.  Now  is  the  time.  Give  me  the  vial.  I 
know  every  corner  of  the  Grotto  of  Darkness.  I  will  fetch 
you  the  water  of  beauty." 

Delighted  beyond  words,  Avenant  delivered  up  his  vial; 
the  owl  flew  with  it  into  the  grotto,  and  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  reappeared,  bringing  it  quite  full  and  well  corked.  Ave 
nant  thanked  her  with  all  his  heart,  and  joyfully  took  once 
more  the  road  to  the  city. 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

The  Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks  had  no  more  to  say.  She 
consented  to  accompany  him  back,  with  all  her  suite,  to  his 
master's  court.  On  the  way  thither  she  saw  so  much  of  him, 
and  found  him  so  charming,  that  Avenant  might  have  married 
her  himself  had  he  chosen ;  but  he  would  not  have  been  false 
to  his  master  for  all  the  beauties  under  the  sun.  At  length 
they  arrived  at  the  King's  city,  and  the  Fair  One  with  Golden 
Locks  became  his  spouse  and  queen.  But  she  still  loved  Ave 
nant  in  her  heart,  and  often  said  to  the  king  her  lord :  "  But 
for  Avenant  I  should  not  be  here;  he  has  done  all  sorts  of 
impossible  deeds  for  my  sake ;  he  has  fetched  me  the  water 
of  beauty,  and  I  shall  never  grow  old — in  short,  I  owe  him 
everything." 

And  she  praised  him  in  this  sort  so  much  that  at  length  the 
King  became  jealous,  and  though  Avenant  gave  him  not  the 
slightest  cause  of  offense,  he  shut  him  up  in  the  same  high 
tower  once  more — but  with  irons  on  his  hands  and  feet,  and 
a  cruel  jailer  besides,  who  fed  him  with  bread  and  water  only. 
His  sole  companion  was  his  little  dog  Cabriole. 

When  the  Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks  heard  of  this,  she 
reproached  her  husband  for  his  ingratitude,  and  then,  throw 
ing  herself  at  his  knees,  implored  that  Avenant  might  be  set 
free.  But  the  King  only  said,  "  She  loves  him !  "  and  refused 
the  prayer.  The  Queen  entreated  no  more,  but  fell  into  a  deep 
melancholy. 

When  the  King  saw  it,  he  thought  she  did  not  care  for  him 
because  he  was  not  handsome  enough ;  and  that  if  he  could 
wash  his  face  with  her  water  of  beauty,  it  would  make  her 
love  him  more.  He  knew  that  she  kept  it  in  a  cabinet  in  her 
chamber,  where  she  could  find  it  always. 

Now  it  happened  that  a  waiting  maid,  in  cleaning  out  this 
cabinet,  had,  the  very  day  before  knocked  down  the  vial, 
which  was  broken  in  a  thousand  pieces,  and  all  the  contents 
were  lost.  Very  much  alarmed,  she  then  remembered  seeing 
in  a  cabinet  belonging  to  the  King,  a  similar  vial.  This  she 
fetched  and  put  in  the  place  of  the  other  one,  in  which  was 
the  water  of  beauty.  But  the  King's  vial  contained  the  water 

[147] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

of  death.  It  was  a  poison,  used  to  destroy  great  criminals — 
that  is,  noblemen,  gentlemen,  and  such  like.  Instead  of  hang 
ing  them  or  cutting  their  heads  off,  like  common  people,  they 
were  compelled  to  wash  their  faces  with  this  water,  upon 
which  they  fell  asleep  and  woke  no  more.  So  it  happened  that 
the  king,  taking  up  this  vial,  believing  it  to  be  the  water  of 
beauty,  washed  his  face  with  it,  fell  asleep,  and — died. 

Cabriole  heard  the  news,  and,  gliding  in  and  out  among  the 
crowd  which  clustered  round  the  young  and  lovely  widow, 
whispered  softly  to  her,  "  Madam,  do  not  forget  poor  Ave 
nant."  If  she  had  been  disposed  to  do  so,  the  sight  of  his 
little  dog  would  have  been  enough  to  remind  her  of  him — 
his  many  sufferings  and  his  great  fidelity.  She  rose  up,  with 
out  speaking  to  anybody,  and  went  straight  to  the  tower  where 
Avenant  was  confined.  There,  with  her  own  hands,  she  struck 
off  his  chains,  and  putting  a  crown  of  gold  on  his  head  and  a 
purple  mantle  on  his  shoulders,  said  to  him,  "  Be  King — and 
my  husband." 

Avenant  could  not  refuse,  for  in  his  heart  he  had  loved  her 
all  the  time.  He  threw  himself  at  her  feet,  and  then  took  the 
crown  and  scepter,  and  ruled  her  kingdom  like  a  king.  All 
the  people  were  delighted  to  have  him  as  their  sovereign.  The 
marriage  was  celebrated  in  all  imaginable  pomp,  and  Avenant 
and  the  Fair  One  with  Golden  Locks  lived  and  reigned  happily 
together  all  their  days. 


The    Little    Good  Mouse 

upon  a  time  there  lived  a  king  and  queen  who 
loved  each  other  so  much  that  they  were  never  happy 
unless  they  were  together.  Day  after  day  they  went 
out  hunting  or  fishing;  night  after  night  they  went  to  balls 
or  to  the  opera;  they  sang  and  danced  and  ate  sugarplums, 
and  were  the  gayest  of  the  gay,  and  all  their  subjects  followed 
their  example  so  that  the  kingdom  was  called  the  Joyous  Land. 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

Now  in  the  next  kingdom  everything  was  as  different  as  it 
could  possibly  be.  The  King  was  sulky  and  savage,  and  never 
enjoyed  himself  at  all.  He  looked  so  ugly  and  cross  that  all 
his  subjects  feared  him,  and  he  hated  the  very  sight  of  a 
cheerful  face ;  so  if  he  ever  caught  anyone  smiling  he  had  his 
head  cut  off  that  very  minute.  This  kingdom  was  very  appro 
priately  called  the  Land  of  Tears.  Now  when  this  wicked 
King  heard  of  the  happiness  of  the  jolly  King,  he  was  so  jeal 
ous  that  he  collected  a  great  army  and  set  out  to  fight  him,  and 
the  news  of  his  approach  was  soon  brought  to  the  King  and 
Queen.  The  Queen,  when  she  heard  of  it,  was  frightened  out 
of  her  wits,  and  began  to  cry  bitterly.  "  Sire,"  she  said,  "  let 
us  collect  all  our  riches  and  run  away  as  far  as  ever  we  can, 
to  the  other  side  of  the  world." 

But  the  King  answered : 

"  Fie,  madam !  I  am  far  too  brave  for  that.  It  is  better  to 
die  than  to  be  a  coward." 

Then  he  assembled  all  his  armed  men,  and  after  bidding  the 
Queen  a  tender  farewell,  he  mounted  his  splendid  horse  and 
rode  away.  When  he  was  lost  to  sight  the  Queen  could  do 
nothing  but  weep  and  wring  her  hands  and  cry. 

"Alas!  If  the  King  is  killed,  what  will  become  of  me  and 
of  my  little  daughter?"  and  she  was  so  sorrowful  that  she 
could  neither  eat  nor  sleep. 

The  King  sent  her  a  letter  every  day,  but  at  last,  one  morn 
ing,  as  she  looked  out  of  the  palace  window,  she  saw  a  mes 
senger  approaching  in  hot  haste. 

"  What  news,  courier  ?  What  news  ?  "  cried  the  Queen,  and 
he  answered : 

"  The  battle  is  lost  and  the  King  is  dead,  and  in  another 
moment  the  enemy  will  be  here." 

The  poor  Queen  fell  back  insensible,  and  all  her  ladies  car 
ried  her  to  bed,  and  stood  round  her  weeping  and  wailing. 
Then  began  a  tremendous  noise  and  confusion,  and  they  knew 
that  the  enemy  had  arrived,  and  very  soon  they  heard  the  King 
himself  stamping  about  the  palace  seeking  the  Queen.  Then 
her  ladies  put  the  little  Princess  into  her  arms,  and  covered 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

her  up,  head  and  all,  in  the  bedclothes,  and  ran  for  their  lives, 
and  the  poor  Queen  lay  there  shaking  and  hoping  she  would 
not  be  found.  But  very  soon  the  wicked  King  clattered  into 
the  room,  and  in  a  fury  because  the  Queen  would  not  answer 
when  he  called  to  her,  he  tore  back  her  silken  coverings  and 
tweaked  off  her  lace  cap,  and  when  all  her  lovely  hair  came 
tumbling  down  over  her  shoulders,  he  wound  it  three  times 
round  his  hand  and  threw  her  over  his  shoulder,  where  he 
carried  her  like  a  sack  of  flour. 

The  poor  Queen  held  her  little  daughter  safe  in  her  arms 
and  shrieked  for  mercy,  but  the  wicked  King  only  mocked  her, 
and  begged  her  to  go  on  shrieking,  as  it  amused  him,  and  so 
mounted  his  great  black  horse,  and  rode  back  to  his  own  coun 
try.  When  he  got  there  he  declared  that  he  would  have  the 
Queen  and  the  little  Princess  hanged  on  the  nearest  tree; 
but  his  courtiers  said  that  seemed  a  pity,  for  when  the  baby 
grew  up  she  would  be  a  very  nice  wife  for  the  King's  only 
son. 

The  King  was  rather  pleased  with  this  idea,  and  shut  the 
Queen  up  in  the  highest  room  of  a  tall  tower,  which  was  very 
tiny,  and  miserably  furnished  with  a  table  and  a  very  hard  bed 
upon  the  floor.  Then  he  sent  for  a  fairy  who  lived  near  his 
kingdom,  and  after  receiving  her  with  more  politeness  than 
he  generally  showed,  and  entertaining  her  at  a  sumptuous 
feast,  he  took  her  up  to  see  the  Queen.  The  fairy  was  so 
touched  by  the  sight  of  her  misery  that  when  she  kissed  her 
hand  she  whispered: 

"  Courage,  madam !   I  think  I  see  a  way  to  help  you." 

The  Queen,  a  little  comforted  by  these  words,  received  her 
graciously,  and  begged  her  to  take  pity  upon  the  poor  little 
Princess,  who  had  met  with  such  a  sudden  reverse  of  fortune. 
But  the  King  got  very  cross  when  he  saw  them  whispering 
together,  and  cried  harshly: 

"  Make  an  end  of  these  fine  speeches,  madam.  I  brought 
you  here  to  tell  me  if  the  child  will  grow  up  pretty  and  for 
tunate." 

Then  the  fairy  answered  that  the  Princess  would  be  as  pretty 

[ISO] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  clever  and  well  brought-up  as  it  was  possible  to  be,  and 
the  old  King  growled  to  the  Queen  that  it  was  lucky  for  her 
that  it  was  so,  as  they  would  certainly  have  been  hanged  if  it 
were  otherwise.  Then  he  stamped  off,  taking  the  fairy  with 
him,  and  leaving  the  poor  Queen  in  tears. 

"  How  can  I  wish  my  little  daughter  to  grow  up  pretty  if 
she  is  to  be  married  to  that  horrid  little  dwarf,  the  King's  son," 
she  said  to  herself,  "  and  yet,  if  she  is  ugly  we  shall  both  be 
killed.  If  I  could  only  hide  her  away  somewhere,  so  that  the 
cruel  King  could  never  find  her." 

As  the  days  went  on,  the  Queen  and  the  little  Princess  grew 
thinner  and  thinner,  for  their  hard-hearted  jailer  gave  them 
every  day  only  three  boiled  peas  and  a  tiny  morsel  of  black 
bread,  so  that  they  were  always  terribly  hungry. 

At  last,  one  evening,  as  the  Queen  sat  at  her  spinning  wheel 
— for  the  King  was  so  avaricious  that  she  was  made  to  work 
day  and  night — she  saw  a  tiny,  pretty  little  mouse  creep  out 
of  a  hole,  and  said  to  it : 

"  Alas,  little  creature !  what  are  you  coming  to  look  for 
here?  I  have  only  three  peas  for  my  day's  provision,  so  un 
less  you  wish  to  fast  you  must  go  elsewhere." 

But  the  mouse  ran  hither  and  thither,  and  danced  and  ca-, 
pered  so  prettily,  that  at  last  the  Queen  gave  it  her  last  pea, 
which  she  was  keeping  for  her  supper,  saying :  "  Here,  little 
one,  eat  it  up;  I  have  nothing  better  to  offer  you,  but  I  give 
this  willingly  in  return  for  the  amusement  I  have  had  from 
you." 

She  had  hardly  spoken  when  she  saw  upon  the  table  a  deli 
cious  little  roast  partridge,  and  two  dishes  of  preserved  fruit. 
"  Truly,"  said  she,  "  a  kind  action  never  goes  unrewarded  " ; 
and  she  and  the  little  Princess  ate  their  supper  with  great  satis 
faction,  and  then  the  Queen  gave  what  was  left  to  the  little 
mouse,  who  danced  better  than  ever  afterwards.  The  next 
morning  came  the  jailer  with  the  Queen's  allowance  of  three 
peas,  which  he  brought  in  upon  a  large  dish  to  make  them 
look  smaller ;  but  as  soon  as  he  set  it  down  the  little  mouse 
came  and  ate  up  all  three,  so  that  when  the  Queen  wanted  her 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

dinner  there  was  nothing  left  for  her.  Then  she  was  quite 
provoked,  and  said : 

"  What  a  bad  little  beast  that  mouse  must  be !  If  it  goes  on 
like  this  I  shall  be  starved."  But  when  she  glanced  at  the 
dish  again  it  was  covered  with  all  sorts  of  nice  things  to  eat, 
and  the  Queen  made  a  very  good  dinner  and  was  gayer  than 
usual  over  it.  But  afterwards  as  she  sat  at  her  spinning  wheel 
she  began  to  consider  what  would  happen  if  the  little  Princess 
did  not  grow  up  pretty  enough  to  please  the  King,  and  she  said 
to  herself: 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  only  think  of  some  way  of  escaping !  " 

As  she  spoke  she  saw  the  little  mouse  playing  in  a  corner 
with  some  long  straws.  The  Queen  took  them  and  began  to 
plait  them,  saying: 

"If  only  I  had  straws  enough  I  would  make  a  basket  with 
them,  and  let  my  baby  down  in  it  from  the  window  to  any  kind 
passer-by  who  would  take  care  of  her." 

By  the  time  the  straws  were  all  plaited  the  little  mouse  had 
dragged  in  more  and  more,  until  the  Queen  had  plenty  to  make 
her  basket,  and  she  worked  at  it  day  and  night,  while  the  little 
mouse  danced  for  her  amusement;  and  at  dinner  and  supper 
time  the  Queen  gave  it  the  three  peas  and  the  bit  of  black 
bread,  and  always  found  something  good  in  the  dish  in  their 
place.  She  really  could  not  imagine  where  all  the  nice  things 
came  from.  At  last  one  day  when  the  basket  was  finished,  the 
Queen  was  looking  out  of  the  window  to  see  how  long  a  cord 
she  must  make  to  lower  it  to  the  bottom  of  the  tower,  when 
she  noticed  a  little  old  woman  who  was  leaning  upon  her  stick 
and  looking  up  at  her.  Presently  she  said : 

"  I  know  your  trouble,  madam.    If  you  like,  I  will  help  you." 

"  Oh,  my  dear  friend,"  said  the  Queen ;  "  if  you  really  wish 
to  be  of  use  to  me  you  will  come  at  the  time  that  I  will  appoint, 
and  I  will  let  down  my  poor  little  baby  in  a  basket.  If  you 
will  take  her  and  bring  her  up  for  me,  when  I  am  rich  I  will 
reward  you  splendidly." 

"  I  don't  care  about  the  reward,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  but 
there  is  one  thing  I  should  like.  You  must  know  that  I  am 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

very  particular  about  what  I  eat,  and  if  there  is  one  thing  that 
I  fancy  above  all  others,  it  is  a  plump,  tender  little  mouse. 
If  there  is  such  a  thing  in  your  garret  just  throw  it  down  to 
me,  and  in  return  I  will  promise  that  your  little  daughter  shall 
be  well  taken  care  of." 

The  Queen  when  she  heard  this  began  to  cry,  but  made  no 
answer,  and  the  old  woman  after  waiting  a  few  minutes  asked 
her  what  was  the  mat'ter. 

"  Why,"  said  the  Queen,  "  there  is  only  one  mouse  in  this 
garret,  and  that  is  such  a  dear,  pretty  little  thing  that  I  cannot 
bear  to  think  of  its  being  killed." 

"  What !  "  cried  the  old  woman  in  a  rage.  "  Do  you  care 
more  for  a  miserable  mouse  than  for  your  own  baby  ?  Good- 
by,  madam!  I  leave  you  to  enjoy  its  company,  and  for  my 
own  part  I  thank  my  stars  that  I  can  get  plenty  of  mice  with 
out  troubling  you  to  give  them  to  me." 

And  she  hobbled  off  grumbling  and  growling.  As  to  the 
Queen,  she  was  so  disappointed  that,  in  spite  of  finding  a  better 
dinner  than  usual,  and  seeing  the  little  mouse  dancing  in  its 
merriest  mood,  she  could  do  nothing  but  cry.  That  night 
when  her  baby  was  fast  asleep  she  packed  it  into  the  basket, 
and  wrote  on  a  slip  of  paper,  "  This  unhappy  little  girl  is  called 
Delicia ! "  This  she  pinned  to  its  robe,  and  then  very  sadly 
she  was  shutting  the  basket  when  in  sprang  the  little  mouse 
and  sat  on  the  baby's  pillow. 

"  Ah !  little  one,"  said  the  Queen,  "  it  cost  me  dear  to  save 
your  life.  How  shall  I  know  now  whether  my  Delicia  is  being 
taken  care  of  or  not?  Anyone  else  would  have  let  the  greedy 
old  woman  have  you  and  eat  you  up,  but  I  could  not  bear  to 
do  it."  Whereupon  the  mouse  answered : 

"  Believe  me,  madam,  you  will  never  repent  of  your  kind 
ness." 

The  Queen  was  immensely  astonished  when  the  mouse  be 
gan  to  speak,  and  still  more  so  when  she  saw  its  little  sharp 
nose  turn  to  a  beautiful  face,  and  its  paws  to  hands  and  feet ; 
then  it  suddenly  grew  tall,  and  the  Queen  recognized  the  fairy 
who  had  come  with  the  wicked  King  to  visit  her. 

[153] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

The  fairy  smiled  at  her  astonished  look,  and  said : 

"  I  wanted  to  see  if  you  were  faithful  and  capable  of  feel 
ing  a  real  friendship  for  me,  for  you  see  we  fairies  are  rich 
in  everything  but  friends,  and  those  are  hard  to  find." 

"  It  is  not  possible  that  you  should  want  for  friends,  you 
charming  creature/'  said  the  Queen,  kissing  her. 

"  Indeed  it  is  so,"  the  fairy  said.  "  For  those  who  are  only 
friendly  with  me  for  their  own  advantage,  I  do  not  count  at 
all.  But  when  you  cared  for  the  poor  little  mouse  you  could 
not  have  known  there  was  anything  to  be  gained  by  it,  and  to 
try  you  further  I  took  the  form  of  the  old  woman  whom  you 
talked  to  from  the  window,  and  then  I  was  convinced  that  you 
really  loved  me."  Then,  turning  to  the  little  Princess,  she 
kissed  her  rosy  lips  three  times,  saying : 

"  Dear  little  one,  I  promise  that  you  shall  be  richer  than 
your  father,  and  shall  live  a  hundred  years,  always  pretty  and 
happy,  without  fear  of  old  age  and  wrinkles." 

The  Queen,  quite  delighted,  thanked  the  fairy  gratefully, 
and  begged  her  to  take  charge  of  the  little  Delicia  and  bring 
her  up  as  her  own  daughter.  This  she  agreed  to  do,  and  then 
they  shut  the  basket  and  lowered  it  carefully,  baby  and  all, 
to  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  tower.  The  fairy  then  changed 
herself  back  into  the  form  of  a  mouse,  and  this  delayed  her  a 
few  seconds,  after  which  she  ran  nimbly  down  the  straw  rope, 
only  to  find  when  she  got  to  the  Bottom  that  the  baby  had 
disappeared. 

In  the  greatest  terror  she  ran  up  again  to  the  Queen, 
crying: 

"  All  is  lost !  my  enemy  Cancaline  has  stolen  the  Princess 
away.  You  must  know  that  she  is  a  cruel  fairy  who  hates  me, 
and  as  she  is  older  than  I  am  and  has  more  power,  I  can  do 
nothing  against  her.  I  know  no  way  of  rescuing  Delicia  from 
her  clutches." 

When  the  Queen  heard  this  terrible  news  she  was  heart 
broken,  and  begged  the  fairy  to  do  all  she  could  to  get  the 
poor  little  Princess  back  again.  At  this  moment  in  came  the 
jailer,  and  when  he  missed  the  little  Princess  he  at  once  told 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  King,  who  came  in  a  great  fury,  asking  what  the  Queen 
had  done  with  her.  She  answered  that  a  fairy,  whose  name 
she  did  not  know,  had  come  and  carried  her  off  by  force. 
Upon  this  the  King  stamped  upon  the  ground,  and  cried  in  a 
terrible  voice : 

"  You  shall  be  hung !  I  always  told  you  you  should."  And 
without  another  word  he  dragged  the  unlucky  Queen  out  into 
the  nearest  wood,  and  climbed  up  into  a  tree  to  look  for  a 
branch  to  which  he  could  hang  her.  But  when  he  was  quite 
high  up,  the  fairy,  who  had  made  herself  invisible  and  fol 
lowed  them,  gave  him  a  sudden  push,  which  made  him  lose 
his  footing  and  fall  to  the  ground  with  a  crash  and  break  four 
of  his  teeth,  and  while  he  was  trying  to  mend  them  the  fairy 
carried  the  Queen  off  in  her  flying  chariot  to  a  beautiful  castle, 
where  she  was  so  kind  to  her  that  but  for  the  loss  of  Delicia 
the  Queen  would  have  been  perfectly  happy.  But  though  the 
good  little  mouse  did  her  very  utmost,  they  could  not  find  out 
where  Cancaline  had  hidden  the  little  Princess. 

Thus  fifteen  years  went  by,  and  the  Queen  had  somewhat 
recovered  from  her  grief,  when  the  news  reached  her  that 
the  son  of  the  wicked  King  wished  to  marry  the  little  maiden 
who  kept  the  turkeys,  and  that  she  had  refused  him ;  the  wed 
ding  dresses  had  been  made,  nevertheless,  and  the  festivities 
were  to  be  so  splendid  that  all  the  people  for  leagues  round 
were  flocking  in  to  be  present  at  them.  The  Queen  felt  quite 
curious  about  a  little  turkey  maiden  who  did  not  wish  to  be 
a  queen,  so  the  little  mouse  conveyed  herself  to  the  poultry 
yard  to  find  out  what  she  was  like. 

She  found  the  turkey  maiden  sitting  upon  a  big  stone,  bare 
footed  and  miserably  dressed  in  an  old,  coarse,  linen  gown  and 
cap ;  the  ground  at  her  feet  was  all  strewn  with  robes  of  gold 
and  silver,  ribbons  and  laces,  diamonds  and  pearls,  over  which 
the  turkeys  were  stalking  to  and  fro,  while  the  king's  ugly, 
disagreeable  son  stood  opposite  her,  declaring  angrily  that  if 
she  would  not  marry  him  she  should  be  killed. 

The  turkey  maiden  answered  proudly : 

"  I  never  will  marry  you !    You  are  too  ugly  and  too  much 

[155] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

like  your  cruel  father.  Leave  me  in  peace  with  my  turkeys, 
which  I  like  far  better  than  all  your  fine  gifts." 

The  little  mouse  watched  her  with  the  greatest  admiration, 
for  she  was  as  beautiful  as  the  spring;  and  as  soon  as  the 
wicked  Prince  was  gone,  she  took  the  form  of  an  old  peasant 
woman  and  said  to  her : 

"  Good  day,  my  pretty  one !  you  have  a  fine  flock  of  turkeys 
there." 

The  young  turkey  maiden  turned  her  gentle  eyes  upon  the 
old  woman  and  answered : 

"  Yet  they  wish  me  to  leave  them  to  become  a  miserable 
queen !  What  is  your  advice  upon  the  matter  ?  " 

"  My  child,"  said  the  fairy,  "  a  crown  is  a  very  pretty  thing, 
but  you  know  neither  the  price  nor  the  weight  of  it." 

"  I  know  so  well  that  I  have  refused  to  wear  one,"  said 
the  little  maiden,  "  though  I  don't  know  who  was  my  father 
or  who  was  my  mother,  and  I  have  not  a  friend  in  the 
world." 

"  You  have  goodness  and  beauty,  which  are  of  more  value 
than  ten  kingdoms,"  said  the  wise  fairy.  "  But  tell  me,  child, 
how  came  you  here,  and  how  is  it  you  have  neither  father  nor 
mother  nor  friend  ?  " 

"  A  fairy  called  Cancaline  is  the  cause  of  my  being  here," 
answered  she,  "  for  while  I  lived  with  her  I  got  nothing  but 
blows  and  harsh  words,  until  at  last  I  could  bear  it  no  longer, 
and  ran  away  from  her  without  knowing  where  I  was  going, 
and  as  I  came  through  a  wood  the  wicked  Prince  met  me  and 
offered  to  give  me  charge  of  the  poultry  yard.  I  accepted 
gladly,  not  knowing  that  I  should  have  to  see  him  day  by  day. 
And  now  he  wants  to  marry  me,  but  that  I  will  never  con 
sent  to." 

Upon  hearing  this  the  fairy  became  convinced  that  the  little 
turkey  maiden  was  none  other  than  the  Princess  Delicia. 

"  What  is  your  name,  my  little  one  ?  "  said  she. 

"  I  am  called  Delicia,  if  it  please  you,"  she  answered. 

Then  the  fairy  threw  her  arms  round  the  Princess's  neck, 
and  nearly  smothered  her  with  kisses,  saying: 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Ah,  Delicia !  I  am  a  very  old  friend  of  yours,  and  I  am 
truly  glad  to  find  you  at  last;  but  you  might  look  nicer  than 
you  do  in  that  old  gown,  which  is  only  fit  for  a  kitchenmaid. 
Take  this  pretty  dress  and  let  us  see  the  difference  it  will 
make." 

So  Delicia  took  off  the  ugly  cap,  and  shook  out  all  her  fair 
shining  hair,  and  bathed  her  hands  and  face  in  clear  water 
from  the  nearest  spring  till  her  cheeks  were  like  coses,  and 
when  she  was  adorned  with  the  diamonds  and  the  splendid 
robe  the  fairy  had  given  her  she  looked  the  most  beautiful 
princess  in  the  world,  and  the  fairy  with  great  delight, 
cried : 

"  Now  you  look  as  you  ought  to  look,  Delicia.  What  do 
you  think  about  it  yourself  ?  " 

And  Delicia  answered: 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  were  the  daughter  of  some  great  king." 

"  And  would  you  be  glad  if  you  were  ?  "  asked  the  fairy. 

"  Indeed  I  should,"  answered  she. 

"  Ah,  well,"  said  the  fairy,  "  to-morrow  I  may  have  some 
pleasant  news  for  you." 

So  she  hurried  back  to  her  castle,  where  the  Queen  sat  busy 
with  her  embroidery,  and  cried : 

"  Well,  madam,  will  you  wager  your  thimble  and  your 
golden  needle  that  I  am  bringing  you  the  best  news  you  could 
possibly  hear?  " 

"  Alas !  "  sighed  the  Queen,  "  since  the  death  of  the  jolly 
King  and  the  loss  of  my  Delicia,  all  the  news  in  the  world  is 
not  worth  a  pin  to  me." 

"  There,  there,  don't  be  melancholy,"  said  the  fairy.  "  I 
assure  you  the  Princess  is  quite  well,  and  I  have  never  seen 
her  equal  for  beauty.  She  might  be  a  queen  to-morrow  if  she 
chose  " ;  and  then  she  told  all  that  had  happened,  and  the 
Queen  first  rejoiced  over  the  thought  of  Delicia's  beauty,  and 
then  wept  at  the  idea  of  her  being  a  turkey  maiden. 

"  I  will  not  hear  of  her  being  made  to  marry  the  wicked 
King's  son,"  she  said.  "  Let  us  go  at  once  and  bring  her 
here." 

[157] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

In  the  meantime  the  wicked  Prince,  who  was  very  angry 
with  Delicia,  had  sat  himself  down  under  a  tree,  and  cried 
and  howled  with  rage  and  spite  until  the  King  heard  him,  and 
cried  out  from  the  window : 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  that  you  are  making  all  this 
disturbance  ?  " 

The  Prince  replied : 

"  It  is  all  because  our  turkey  maiden  will  not  love  me ! " 

"  Won't  love  you,  eh !  "  said  the  King.  "  We'll  very  soon 
see  about  that !  "  So  he  called  his  guards  and  told  them  to  go 
and  fetch  Delicia.  "  See  if  I  don't  make  her  change  her  mind 
pretty  soon !  "  said  the  wicked  King  with  a  chuckle. 

Then  the  guards  began  to  search  the  poultry  yard,  and  could 
find  nobody  there  but  Delicia,  who,  with  her  splendid  dress 
and  her  crown  of  diamonds,  looked  such  a  lovely  princess  that 
they  hardly  dared  to  speak  to  her.  But  she  said  to  them  very 
politely : 

"  Pray  tell  me  what  you  are  looking  for  here  ?  " 

"  Madam,"  they  answered,  "  we  are  sent  for  an  insignificant 
little  person  called  Delicia." 

"  Alas !  "  said  she,  "  that  is  my  name.  What  can  you  want 
with  me  ?  " 

So  the  guards  tied  her  hands  and  feet  with  thick  ropes,  for 
fear  she  might  run  away,  and  brought  her  to  the  King,  who 
was  waiting  with  his  son. 

When  he  saw  her  he  was  very  much  astonished  at  her 
beauty,  which  would  have  made  anyone  less  hard-hearted 
sorry  for  her.  But  the  wicked  King  only  laughed  and  mocked 
at  her,  and  cried :  "  Well,  little  fright,  little  toad !  why  don't 
you  love  my  son,  who  is  far  too  handsome  and  too  good  for 
you?  Make  haste  and  begin  to  love  him  this  instant,  or  you 
shall  be  tarred  and  feathered." 

Then  the  poor  little  Princess,  shaking  with  terror,  went 
down  on  her  knees,  crying: 

"  Oh,  don't  tar  and  feather  me,  please !  It  would  be  so  un 
comfortable.  Let  me  have  two  or  three  days  to  make  up  my 
mind,  and  then  you  shall  do  as  you  like  with  me." 

[  158  ] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

The  wicked  Prince  would  have  liked  very  much  to  see  her 
tarred  and  feathered,  but  the  King  ordered  that  she  should  be 
shut  up  in  a  dark  dungeon.  It  was  just  at  this  moment  that 
the  Queen  and  the  fairy  arrived  in  the  flying  chariot,  and  the 
Queen  was  dreadfully  distressed  at  the  turn  affairs  had  taken, 
and  said  miserably  that  she  was  destined  to  be  unfortunate 
all  her  days.  But  the  fairy  bade  her  take  courage. 

"  I'll  pay  them  out  yet,"  said  she,  nodding  her  head  with 
an  air  of  great  determination. 

That  very  same  night,  as  soon  as  the  wicked  King  had 
gone  to  bed,  the  fairy  changed  herself  into  the  little  mouse, 
and  creeping  up  on  to  his  pillow  nibbled  his  ear  so  that  he 
squealed  out  quite  loudly  and  turned  over  on  his  other  side; 
but  that  did  no  good,  for  the  little  mouse  only  set  to  work 
and  gnawed  away  at  the  second  ear  until  it  hurt  more  than 
the  first  one. 

Then  the  King  cried  "Murder!"  and  "Thieves!"  and  all 
his  guards  ran  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  but  they  could  find 
nothing  and  nobody,  for  the  little  mouse  had  run  off  to  the 
Prince's  room  and  was  serving  him  in  exactly  the  same  way. 
All  night  long  she  ran  from  one  to  the  other,  until  at  last, 
driven  quite  frantic  by  terror  and  want  of  sleep,  the  King 
rushed  out  of  the  palace  crying: 

"  Help !  help !  I  am  pursued  by  rats." 

The  Prince  when  he  heard  this  got  up  also,  and  ran  after 
the  King,  and  they  had  not  gone  far  when  they  both  fell  into 
the  river  and  were  never  heard  of  again. 

Then  the  good  fairy  ran  to  tell  the  Queen,  and  they  went 
together  to  the  black  dungeon  where  Delicia  was  imprisoned. 
The  fairy  touched  each  door  with  her  wand,  and  it  sprang 
open  instantly;  but  they  had  to  go  through  forty  before  they 
came  to  the  Princess,  who  was  sitting  on  the  floor  looking 
very  dejected.  But  when  the  Queen  rushed  in  and  kissed 
her  twenty  times  in  a  minute,  and  laughed  and  cried  and  told 
her  all  her  history,  the  Princess  was  wild  with  delight.  Then 
the  fairy  showed  her  all  the  wonderful  dresses  and  jewels  she 
had  brought  for  her,  and  said : 

[159] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Don't  let  us  waste  time ;  we  must  go  and  harangue  the 
people." 

So  she  walked  first,  looking  very  serious  and  dignified,  and 
wearing  a  dress  the  train  of  which  was  at  least  ten  ells  long. 
Behind  her  came  the  Queen  wearing  a  blue  velvet  robe  em 
broidered  with  gold  and  a  diamond  crown  that  was  brighter 
than  the  sun  itself.  Last  of  all  walked  Delicia,  who  was  so 
beautiful  that  it  was  nothing  short  of  marvelous. 

They  proceeded  through  the  streets,  returning  the  saluta 
tions  of  all  they  met,  great  or  small,  and  all  the  people  turned 
and  followed  them,  wondering  who  these  noble  ladies  could  be. 

When  the  audience  hall  was  quite  full,  the  fairy  said  to  the 
subjects  of  the  wicked  King  that  if  they  would  accept  Delicia, 
who  was  the  daughter  of  the  jolly  King,  as  their  Queen,  she 
would  undertake  to  find  a  suitable  husband  for  her,  and  would 
promise  that  during  their  reign  there  should  be  nothing  but 
rejoicing  and  merrymaking,  and  all  dismal  things  should  be 
entirely  banished.  Upon  this  the  people  cried  with  one  ac 
cord  :  "  We  will,  we  will !  We  have  been  gloomy  and  miser 
able  too  long  already."  And  they  all  took  hands  and  danced 
round  the  Queen  and  Delicia  and  the  good  fairy,  singing: 
"  Yes,  yes ;  we  will,  we  will !  " 

Then  there  were  feasts  and  fireworks  in  every  street  in  the 
town,  and  early  the  next  morning  the  fairy,  who  had  been 
all  over  the  world  in  the  night,  brought  back  with  her  in  her 
flying  chariot  the  most  handsome  and  good-tempered  Prince 
she  could  find  anywhere.  He  was  so  charming  that  Delicia 
loved  him  from  the  moment  their  eyes  met,  and  as  for  him, 
of  course  he  could  not  help  thinking  himself  the  luckiest  prince 
in  the  world.  The  Queen  felt  that  she  had  really  come  to  the 
end  of  her  misfortunes  at  last,  and  they  all  lived  happily  ever 
after. 


160] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 
The   Story   of  Blanche  and  Vermilion 

rHERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  widow,  a  very  good 
kind  of  woman,  who  had  two  daughters,  both  very 
amiable.  The  elder  was  called  "  Blanche  "  and  the 
younger  "  Vermilion."  They  had  received  these  names  because 
one  of  them  had  the  fairest  complexion  that  was  ever  seen, 
and  the  other  had  cheeks  and  lips  as  red  as  coral. 

One  day,  as  the  good  woman  was  seated  near  the  door  of 
her  cottage  spinning,  she  perceived  a  poor  old  woman  who 
could  hardly  hobble  along  with  the  assistance  of  her  stick. 
"  You  appear  to  be  very  much  tired,  my  good  woman,"  said 
the  widow ;  "  sit  down  here  and  rest  yourself  awhile  " ;  and 
she  then  desired  one  of  her  daughters  to  fetch  her  a  chair. 
Both  of  them  immediately  rose,  but  Vermilion  outran  her  sister 
and  brought  the  chair. 

"  Will  you  please  to  drink  ?  "  said  the  good  old  dame  to 
the  old  woman.  "  With  all  my  heart,"  answered  she ;  "  and 
I  feel  even  as  if  I  could  eat  a  little  if  you  could  give  me  a  bit 
of  something  nice."  "  You  shall  be  welcome  to  anything  that 
I  have,"  said  the  good  widow ;  "  but,  as  I  am  poor,  it  will  be 
nothing  out  of  the  common  way."  At  the  same  time  she  de 
sired  her  daughters  to  lay  the  table  for  the  good  old  dame, 
who  straightway  seated  herself  at  it. 

The  widow  then  told  the  elder  daughter  to  go  and  gather 
some  plums  from  a  tree  that  she  had  planted  herself,  and 
was  very  fond  of.  Blanche,  instead  of  obeying  her  mother 
willingly,  murmured,  and  said  to  herself,  "  So  it  is  for  this 
old  gormandizer  that  I  have  been  so  very  careful  of  my 
plum  tree."  She,  however,  dared  not  refuse  to  fetch  a  few 
plums,  but  she  gave  them  with  much  reluctance  and  very 
ungraciously.  "  You,  Vermilion,"  said  the  good  woman  to 
her  younger  daughter,  "  have  no  fruit  to  give  to  this  good 
dame,  for  your  grapes  are  not  ripe."  "  That's  true,"  said 
Vermilion ;  "  but  I  hear  my  hen  cackling,  so  she  must  have 
laid  an  egg,  and  if  the  gentlewoman  would  like  a  new-laid 

[161] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

egg  she  is  very  welcome  to  it " ;  and  without  waiting  for 
any  answer  from  the  old  woman,  she  ran  off  to  seek  her  egg. 
The  moment  she  presented  it,  however,  the  old  woman  dis 
appeared  and  was  replaced  by  a  beautiful  lady  who  said  to  the 
mother :  "I  am  about  to  recompense  your  two  daughters 
according  to  their  deserts.  The  elder  shall  become  a  great 
queen,  and  the  younger  a  farmer's  wife."  With  these  words 
she  struck  the  house  with  her  wand ;  it  disappeared,  and  in  its 
place  rose  a  nice,  snug-looking  farm.  "  That  is  your  portion," 
said  she  to  Vermilion.  "  I  know  that  I  have  given  each  of 
you  what  you  like  best."  Having  thus  said,  the  fairy  departed ; 
and  the  good  woman  and  her  two  daughters  remained  in  great 
surprise. 

They  went  into  the  farmhouse,  and  were  charmed  with  the 
neatness  of  the  furniture.  The  chairs  were  only  of  wood,  but 
they  were  so  bright  that  one  might  see  one's  face  in  them 
as  in  a  looking-glass.  The  bedding  was  of  Irish  linen,  as 
white  as  snow.  In  the  pens  were  sheep;  four  oxen  and  the 
like  number  of  cows  were  in  the  cowhouses,  and  the  yard  was 
well  stocked  with  all  sorts  of  domestic  animals,  as  poultry, 
ducks,  pigeons,  etc.  There  was  also  a  pretty  garden,  planted 
with  different  kinds  of  fruit,  vegetables,  and  flowers. 

Blanche  regarded  without  any  feelings  of  jealousy  the  fairy's 
gift  to  her  sister.  Her  only  thoughts  were  concerning  the  pleas 
ures  she  anticipated  in  being  a  queen.  All  at  once  she  heard  a 
huntsman's  horn,  and  going  to  the  door  to  see  the  party  pass, 
she  appeared  so  beautiful  to  the  King  that  he  resolved  to  marry 
her,  and  did  so  accordingly.  Blanche,  when  she  was  become  a 
queen,  said  to  her  sister  Vermilion :  "  I  do  not  wish  that  you 
should  marry  a  farmer ;  come  to  court  with  me,  sister ;  I  will 
procure  you  a  great  lord  for  your  husband."  "  I  am  very 
much  obliged  to  you,  sister,"  replied  Vermilion,  "  but  I  am 
accustomed  to  a  country  life,  and  do  not  wish  to  change  it." 

Queen  Blanche  then  set  out,  and  she  was  so  gratified  that 
she  passed  several  nights  without  sleeping,  for  joy.  The  first 
few  months  she  was  so  taken  up  with  fine  clothes,  balls,  and 
plays  that  she  thought  of  nothing  else.  But  she  soon  grew 


THE  FAIRY   RING 

used  to  these  things,  and  nothing  now  amused  her;  on  the 
contrary,  she  was  very  discontented.  All  the  ladies  of  the 
court  showed  her  great  respect  when  they  were  in  her  pres 
ence  ;  but  she  knew  that  they  did  not  like  her,  and  that  they 
said  to  each  other  behind  her  back,  "  See  how  this  peasant 
girl  plays  the  fine  lady !  The  King  must  have  had  very  poor 
taste  to  take  such  a  personage  for  his  consort."  The  King 
heard  of  these  remarks,  and  they  made  him  reflect  on  what  he 
had  done.  He  began  to  think  that  he  had  acted  wrongly  in 
marrying  Blanche,  and  as  his  passion  for  her  had  cooled,  he 
soon  neglected  her. 

When  the  courtiers  perceived  that  the  King  no  longer  loved 
his  wife,  they  paid  her  little  or  no  attention.  She  was  very 
unfortunate,  for  she  had  not  a  single  friend  to  whom  she  could 
impart  her  grief.  She  observed  that  it  was  the  fashion  at  court 
to  sacrifice  one's  friend  to  one's  interest,  to  smile  on  one's  bit 
terest  enemy,  and  to  tell  lies  continually.  She  was  obliged  to 
be  serious,  because  she  was  told  that  a  queen  ought  always 
to  look  grave  and  majestic.  She  had  several  children,  and 
during  all  this  time  she  was  constantly  attended  by  a  physician, 
who  examined  everything  that  she  ate,  and  ordered  everything 
that  she  liked  to  be  removed  from  the  table.  She  was  allowed 
no  salt  in  her  soup,  she  was  forbidden  to  quit  the  house  when 
she  felt  inclined  to  take  a  walk — in  a  word,  she  was  contra 
dicted  from  morning  till  night.  Governesses  were  engaged 
for  her  children,  who  brought  them  up  in  direct  opposition 
to  her  wishes ;  yet  she  was  not  permitted  to  find  fault.  Poor 
Queen  Blanche  was  dying  with  sorrow,  and  she  grew  so  thin 
that  it  was  pitiable  to  see  her.  She  had  not  seen  her  sister  once 
during  the  three  years  that  she  had  been  a  queen,  because  she 
thought  it  would  be  demeaning  her  high  rank  to  pay  a  visit 
to  a  farmer's  wife ;  but  when  she  was  quite  oppressed  with 
melancholy,  she  came  to  the  resolution  of  spending  a  few  days 
in  the  country  to  restore  herself.  She  asked  leave  of  the  King 
to  go,  who  permitted  her  very  willingly,  for  he  thought  that 
he  should  thus  get  rid  of  her  for  some  time.  She  set  out,  and 
arrived  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  at  Vermilion's  farm.  As 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

she  was  drawing  near,  she  observed  about  the  door  a  com 
pany  of  shepherds  and  shepherdesses  who  were  dancing  and 
merrymaking  in  high  glee.  "  Alas !  "  said  the  Queen  sighing, 
"  there  was  once  a  time  when  I  could  divert  myself  like  these 
poor  people,  and  no  one  found  fault  with  me."  Directly  she 
came  in  sight,  her  sister  ran  to  embrace  her.  She  looked  so 
happy,  she  had  grown  so  plump,  that  the  Queen  could  not  for 
bear  crying  when  she  looked  at  her. 

Vermilion  had  married  a  farmer's  son,  who  had  no  fortune ; 
but  he  never  ceased  to  remember  that  his  wife  had  brought 
him  all  that  he  possessed,  and  he  strove  by  his  obliging  dispo 
sition  to  show  his  gratitude.  Vermilion  had  not  many  serv 
ants  ;  but  those  that  she  had  were  as  fond  of  her  as  if  she  had 
been  their  mother,  because  she  treated  them  well.  All  her 
neighbors  also  liked  her,  and  they  were  all  zealous  in  showing 
their  love.  She  had  not  much  money,  nor  had  she  any  occa 
sion  for  much,  for  her  farm  yielded  her  corn,  wine,  and  oil. 
Her  herds  furnished  her  with  milk,  with  which  she  made  but 
ter  and  cheese.  She  spun  the  wool  supplied  by  her  sheep  into 
the  materials  of  clothes  for  herself,  her  husband,  and  her  two 
children.  They  all  enjoyed  excellent  health,  and  in  the  even 
ing,  when  the  period  of  working  had  passed,  they  diverted 
themselves  with  all  sorts  of  pastimes.  "  Alas ! "  cried  the 
Queen,  "  the  fairy  made  me  a  very  evil  present  when  she  gave 
me  a  crown.  Contentment  is  not  to  be  found  in  magnificent 
palaces,  but  only  in  the  innocent  employments  of  a  country 
life."  These  words  had  hardly  passed  her  lips  when  the  fairy 
appeared.  "  It  was  not  my  intention,  when  I  made  you  Queen, 
to  reward,  but  to  punish  you,"  said  the  fairy  to  her,  "  for 
giving  me  your  plums  with  so  much  ill  will.  To  be  truly  con 
tented  and  happy,  you  must,  like  your  sister,  possess  only 
what  is  necessary,  and  wish  for  nothing  more."  "  Ah, 
madam !  "  faltered  Blanche,  "  you  are  sufficiently  revenged ;  I 
entreat  you  to  put  an  end  to  my  unhappiness." 

"  It  is  at  an  end,"  answered  the  fairy.  "  The  King,  who  no 
longer  loves  you,  has  just  married  another  wife,  and  his  of 
ficers  will  arrive  here  to-morrow  to  desire  you,  in  his  name, 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

never  to  return  to  his  court."  It  came  to  pass  exactly  as  the 
fairy  had  foretold.  Blanche  passed  the  remainder  of  her  days 
with  her  sister  Vermilion,  in  all  happiness  and  reasonable 
pleasure,  and  she  never  thought  of  the  court  again  except  to 
thank  the  fairy  for  having  brought  her  from  it  to  her  native 
village. 


Prince    Desire    and  Princess   Mignonetta 

rHERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  king  who  was  pas 
sionately  fond  of  a  princess ;  but  she  could  not  be 
married,  because  she  was  enchanted.  He  went  to 
consult  a  fairy,  to  ascertain  what  he  ought  to  do  to  make 
the  Princess  love  him.  The  fairy  said  to  him,  "  You  know  that 
the  Princess  has  a  large  cat,  of  which  she  is  very  fond ;  well, 
she  can  marry  that  person  only  who  can  succeed  in  treading 
on  her  cat's  tail."  The  King  said  to  himself,  "  That  will 
not  be  very  difficult  to  accomplish  " ;  and  he  quitted  the  fairy, 
determined  rather  to  crush  the  cat's  tail  than  to  fail  in 
treading  on  it.  He  hastened  to  his  mistress's  palace;  Master 
Puss  came  to  meet  him,  very  consequentially,  as  was  his  wont ; 
the  King  lifted  up  his  foot,  but  when  he  thought  to  have  put 
it  on  the  cat's  tail,  Puss  turned  round  so  quickly  that  he 
trod  on  nothing  but  the  floor.  He  was  a  week  trying  to  tread 
on  this  fatal  tail,  which  appeared  to  be  full  of  quicksilver, 
for  it  was  continually  moving.  But,  at  last,  the  King  had 
the  good  fortune  to  surprise  Master  Puss  while  he  was  asleep, 
and  trod  upon  his  tail  with  all  his  weight.  Puss  awakened, 
mewing  horribly,  and  immediately  took  the  shape  of  a  tall 
man,  who,  looking  at  the  King  with  eyes  full  of  anger,  said 
to  him :  "  You  may  now  marry  the  Princess,  since  you  have 
dissolved  the  enchantment  which  prevented  you ;  but  I  will 
be  revenged.  You  shall  have  a  son  who  will  always  be 
unfortunate  until  the  time  when  he  shall  become  aware 
that  his  nose  is  too  long;  and,  if  you  take  any  umbrage  at 
what  I  threaten,  you  shall  immediately  be  put  to  death." 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Although  the  King  was  frightened  at  the  sight  of  this  tall 
man,  who  was  an  enchanter,  he  could  not  help  laughing  at 
his  threat.  "  If  my  son's  nose  should  be  too  long/'  said  he 
to  himself,  "  unless  he  should  be  either  blind  or  silly,  he 
will  certainly  be  able  to  see  or  feel  it."  When  the  en 
chanter  had  disappeared,  the  King  went  to  find  the  Princess, 
who  consented  to  marry  him.  However,  he  did  not  live 
long  with  her,  for  he  died  eight  months  after  the  wedding. 
Shortly  after  his  death,  the  Queen  gave  birth  to  a  young 
Prince,  who  was  called  Desire.  He  had  the  finest  large 
blue  eyes  in  the  world,  and  a  pretty  little  mouth ;  but  his  nose 
was  so  large  that  it  covered  half  his  face.  The  Queen  was 
inconsolable  when  she  saw  this  large  nose ;  but  the  ladies  who 
were  with  her  told  her  that  the  nose  was  not  so  large  as  it 
appeared  to  her  to  be ;  that  it  was  a  Roman  nose,  and  that 
history  averred  that  all  heroes  had  large  noses.  The  Queen, 
who  loved  her  son  to  excess,  was  charmed  with  this  dis 
course;  and,  by  continually  looking  at  Desire,  his  nose  no 
longer  appeared  to  be  so  very  long.  The  Prince  was  brought 
up  very  carefully ;  and,  as  soon  as  he  could  speak,  all  kinds 
of  shocking  stories  were  told  him  of  people  who  had  short 
noses.  No  one  was  allowed  to  remain  near  him  whose  nose 
did  not  a  little  resemble  his  own;  and  the  courtiers,  to  show 
their  respect  to  the  Queen  and  her  son,  pulled  their  children's 
noses  several  times  a  day,  with  a  view  of  lengthening  them. 
They  had,  however,  a  difficult  task;  for  their  sons  appeared 
to  have  hardly  any  nose  at  all  compared  with  Prince  Desire's; 
When  he  became  old  enough  to  understand  it,  he  was  in 
structed  in  history;  and,  whenever  any  great  prince  or  hand 
some  princess  was  mentioned  to  him,  he  or  she  was  always 
spoken  of  as  having  a  long  nose.  The  room  was  hung  round 
with  pictures  in  which  all  the  figures  had  large  noses;  and 
Desire  grew  so  accustomed  to  regard  length  of  nose  as  an 
ornament,  that  he  would  not  for  an  empire  have  parted  with  an 
atom  of  his.  When  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  it  was 
thought  expedient  for  him  to  marry ;  and  the  portraits  of  vari 
ous  princesses  were  submitted  to  him.  He  was  in  raptures  with 

[166] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

that  of  Mignonetta,  the  daughter  of  a  great  king,  and  heir 
ess  to  several  kingdoms;  of  the  kingdoms,  however,  De 
sire  thought  not  at  all,  he  was  so  much  struck  with  her 
beauty. 

The  Princess  Mignonetta,  although  he  was  thus  charmed 
with  her,  had  a  little  turned-up  nose  which  harmonized  ad 
mirably  with  her  other  features,  but  which  very  much  per 
plexed  the  courtiers.  They  had  acquired  such  a  habit  of 
ridiculing  small  noses,  that  they  sometimes  could  not  forbear 
laughing  at  that  of  the  Princess ;  but  Desire  would  not  suffer 
a  jest  on  this  subject;  and  he  banished  two  courtiers  from  his 
presence,  who  dared  to  make  insinuations  against  Mignonetta's 
nose.  The  others,  warned  by  their  fate,  were  more  cautious ; 
and  there  was  one  who  said  to  the  Prince,  that,  in  truth, 
a  man  could  not  be  amiable  who  had  not  a  large  nose, 
but  that  it  was  not  the  same  in  respect  to  woman ;  for  a  wise 
man,  who  spoke  Greek,  had  informed  him  that  he  had  read 
in  an  old  manuscript  that  the  fair  Cleopatra  had  the  end  of 
her  nose  turned  up.  The  Prince  made  a  magnificent  present 
to  the  courtier  who  told  him  this  good  news,  and  dispatched 
ambassadors  to  demand  Mignonetta  in  marriage.  His  pro 
posal  was  accepted,  and  he  was  so  anxious  to  see  her,  that 
he  went  more  than  nine  miles  on  the  road  to  meet  her;  but 
as  he  was  just  stepping  forward  to  kiss  her  hand,  the  en 
chanter  appeared  and  carried  off  the  Princess  before  his  face, 
leaving  him  quite  inconsolable. 

Desire  resolved  never  to  reenter  his  kingdom,  until  he  had 
discovered  Mignonetta.  He  would  not  allow  any  of  his 
courtiers  to  accompany  him,  and,  mounting  a  good  horse, 
he  laid  the  bridle  on  his  neck,  and  allowed  him  to  choose  his 
own  road.  The  horse  presently  came  to  a  large  plain,  which 
he  traversed  the  whole  day  without  seeing  a  single  house. 
Both  horse  and  rider  were  ready  to  die  with  hunger;  at 
last,  as  night  was  about  to  set  in,  they  discovered  a  cave  in 
which  a  light  was  burning.  Desire  entered,  and  saw  a  little 
old  woman,  who  appeared  to  be  more  than  a  hundred  years 
old  She  put  on  her  spectacles  to  look  at  the  Prince;  but 

[167] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

she  was  a  long  time  adjusting  them,  for  her  nose  was  too 
short.  The  Prince  and  the  fairy  (for  it  was  a  fairy)  burst 
out  laughing  as  they  looked  at  each  other;  exclaiming  simul 
taneously,  "  Oh,  what  a  comical  nose ! "  "  Not  so  comical 
as  yours,"  said  Desire ;  "  but,  madam,  let  us  leave  our 
noses  as  they  are,  and  have  the  goodness  to  give  me  some 
thing  to  eat;  for  both  I  and  my  poor  horse  are  dying  with 
hunger." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  answered  the  fairy.  "  Although  your 
nose  is  ridiculous,  you  are  not  the  less  the  son  of  my  best 
friend.  I  loved  the  King,  your  father,  like  my  own 
brother ;  but  he  had  a  very  handsome  nose."  "  And  what  is 
there  wanting  in  mine  ?  "  asked  Desire.  "  Oh,  it  wants  noth 
ing,"  answered  the  fairy ;  "  on  the  contrary,  there  is  far  too 
much  of  it ;  but  no  matter ;  a  man  may  be  very  good,  and  yet 
have  too  large  a  nose.  I  was  saying,  then,  that  I  was  your 
father's  friend;  at  that  time  he  frequently  came  to  see  me; 
and  you  must  know  that  in  those  days  I  was  very  pretty ; 
your  father  told  me  so.  I  must  repeat  to  you  a  conver 
sation  that  we  had  together  the  last  time  he  saw  me."  "  Very 
well,  madam,"  said  Desire ;  "  I  will  listen  to  you  with  a  great 
deal  of  pleasure  when  I  have  had  my  supper;  consider,  if 
you  please,  that  I  have  eaten  nothing  to-day."  "  The  poor 
child  is  right,"  said  the  fairy ;  "  I  did  not  think  of  that.  I  will 
prepare  your  supper;  and,  while  you  are  eating,  I  will  tell 
you  my  history  in  a  few  words ;  for  I  do  not  like  long  tales. 
A  long  tongue  is  still  more  insufferable  than  a  large  nose; 
and  I  remember,  when  I  was  young,  that  I  was  admired  for 
not  being  a  great  talker;  the  Queen,  my  mother,  used  fre 
quently  to  have  it  mentioned  to  her;  for,  such  as  you  see 
me,  I  am  a  great  king's  daughter.  My  father — "  "  Your 
father  ate  when  he  was  hungry,"  said  the  Prince,  inter 
rupting  her.  "  Yes,  he  did,  doubtless,"  said  the  fairy,  "  and 
you  also  will  have  your  supper  in  a  moment:  I  was  merely 
going  to  tell  you  that  my  father — "  "  But  I  will  not  listen 
to  a  word  until  I  have  something  to  eat,"  said  the  Prince, 
growing  angry.  He  checked  himself,  however,  for  he  wanted 

[168] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

something  of  the  fairy,  and  said :  "  I  know  that  the  pleasure 
I  should  take  in  listening  to  you  would  make  me  forget  my 
own  hunger;  but  my  horse,  who  will  not  understand  you,  is 
in  need  of  some  food."  This  compliment  made  the  fairy 
blush  prettily.  "  You  shall  wait  no  longer,"  said  she  to 
Desire,  calling  her  domestics ;  "  you  are  very  polite,  and,  in 
spite  of  the  size  of  your  nose,  you  are  very  amiable."  "  Plague 
take  the  old  woman  with  my  nose !  "  said  the  Prince  to  him 
self  ;  "  one  would  have  sworn  that  my  mother  had  stolen  what 
is  wanting  in  hers,  to  make  mine  with;  if  I  were  not  hun 
gry,  I  would  leave  this  prate-a-pace,  who  fancies  that  she 
is  a  little  talker.  One  must  be  very  stupid  not  to  perceive 
one's  own  defects;  that  comes  of  her  being  born  a  princess: 
flatterers  have  spoiled  her,  and  persuaded  her  that  she  is  a 
little  talker." 

While  that  was  passing  in  the  Prince's  mind,  the  servants 
laid  the  table;  and  the  Prince  wondered  at  the  fairy,  who 
kept  asking  them  a  thousand  questions,  solely  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  talking:  he  was  especially  surprised  at  a  waiting 
woman,  who,  in  everything  that  she  saw,  praised  her  mis 
tress  for  her  discretion.  "  Egad !  "  thought  he,  as  he  was 
eating,  "  I  am  delighted  to  have  found  my  way  here.  This 
example  demonstrates  to  me  how  wisely  I  have  acted  in  not 
listening  to  flatterers,  who  praise  all  princes  very  shame 
lessly,  concealing  our  defects  from  us,  or  representing  them 
to  us  as  perfections ;  but  as  for  me,  I  shall  never  be  their 
dupe;  I  know  my  own  defects,  God  be  thanked."  Poor 
Desire  quite  thought  he  was  right,  and  little  imagined  that 
those  who  had  praised  his  nose  had  ridiculed  it  in  their 
hearts,  as  the  waiting  woman  was  ridiculing  the  fairy;  for 
the  Prince  observed  that  she  turned  her  head  aside  every 
now  and  then  to  laugh.  With  regard  to  himself,  he  did  not 
say  a  word,  but  ate  away  as  fast  as  he  could.  "  Prince," 
said  the  fairy  to  him,  when  he  began  to  be  satisfied,  "  move 
a  little  I  entreat  you ;  your  nose  makes  so  large  a  shadow 
that  it  prevents  me  from  seeing  what  is  on  my  plate.  By 
the  way,  with  regard  to  your  father:  I  went  to  his  court 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

when  he  was  quite  a  child;  but  it  is  forty  years  since  I  first 
retired  into  this  solitude.  Tell  me  a  little  how  things  are 
going  on  at  court  now ;  are  the  ladies  still  as  fond  of  running 
about?  In  my  time  they  used  to  go  on  the  same  day  to 
the  promenade,  to  the  assembly,  to  the  theater,  to  the  ball — 
But  how  long  your  nose  is !  I  cannot  grow  used  to  it."  "  In 
truth,  madam,"  answered  Desire,  "  do  not  say  any  more 
about  my  nose;  it  is  as  it  is,  and  in  what  does  it  concern 
you?  I  am  contented  with  it,  and  do  not  wish  that  it  was 
any  shorter ;  everyone  to  his  taste."  "  Oh,  I  perceive  now 
I  have  hurt  your  feelings,  my  poor  Desire,"  said  the  fairy, 
"  but  I  did  not  intend  to  do  so ;  on  the  contrary,  I  am  your 
friend,  and  I  wish  to  do  you  a  service;  but  notwithstanding 
that,  I  cannot  help  being  shocked  at  your  nose;  I  will -not, 
however,  mention  it  to  you  again;  I  will  even  constrain 
myself  to  think  that  you  are  snub-nosed ;  though  in  truth 
there  are  materials  enough  in  it  to  make  three  reasonable 
noses." 

Desire,  who  had  finished  his  supper,  grew  so  tired  of  the 
fairy's  tedious  prattle  about  his  nose  that  he  sprang  on  his 
horse  and  rode  away  from  the  cavern.  He  continued  his 
journey;  and  wherever  he  went,  he  thought  that  everybody 
was  mad,  for  everybody  talked  about  his  nose;  nevertheless, 
he  had  been  so  accustomed  to  hear  it  asserted  that  his  nose 
was  handsome,  that  he  could  not  reconcile  to  himself  the  idea 
that  it  was  too  long. 

The  old  fairy,  who  wished  to  do  him  a  service  in  spite 
of  himself,  determined  to  shut  up  Mignonetta  in  a  crystal 
palace,  and  place  this  palace  in  the  Prince's  road.  Desire, 
transported  with  joy,  strove  to  break  it;  but  he  could  not 
succeed:  in  despair,  he  wished  to  approach  near  it,  so  as  at 
least  to  speak  to  the  Princess,  who,  on  her  part,  stretched 
her  hand  close  to  the  crystal  wall  of  the  palace.  He  was 
very  anxious  to  kiss  her  hand;  but  turn  his  head  which 
way  he  would,  he  could  not  place  his  mouth  near  it,  his 
nose  constantly  preventing  him.  He  then  perceived  for 
the  first  time  its  extraordinary  length,  and  feeling  all  over  it 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

with  his  hand,  "  I  must  confess,"  said  he,  "  that  my  nose  is 
too  large."  At  the  moment  he  pronounced  those  words,  the 
crystal  palace  vanished,  and  the  fairy  appeared  leading  Mig- 
nonetta  by  the  hand,  and  saying:  "  Confess  that  you  are  greatly 
obliged  to  me.  I  vainly  wished  to  speak  to  you  about  your 
nose;  but  you  would  never  have  acknowledged  its  defect  un 
less  it  had  become  an  obstacle  to  your  wishes.  In  this  way 
self-love  conceals  from  us  all  the  defects  of  our  minds  and 
bodies.  In  vain  reason  endeavors  to  unveil  them  to  us ;  we 
can  never  perceive  them  until  the  same  self-love  that  blinds 
us  to  them  finds  them  to  be  opposed  to  its  interests."  Desire, 
whose  nose  had  become  an  ordinary  nose,  profited  by  this 
lesson.  He  married  Mignonetta,  and  lived  very  happily  with 
her  to  a  good  old  age. 


The    Yellow   Dwarf 


once  lived  a  widowed  Queen,  who  had  one 
daughter.  There  had  been  several  other  children,  you 
must  know,  but  one  by  one  they  had  died,  until  the 
beautiful  Princess  All-fair  was  the  only  child  left. 

Time  passed  on,  and  every  day  the  maiden  grew  more  and 
more  lovely,  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  she  not  only  grew  lovelier, 
but  she  also  became  very  vain  indeed. 

Well,  by  the  time  she  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  All-fair 
was  so  charming  that  she  had  won  the  hearts  of  twenty 
noble  kings,  and  they  were  all  courting  her  at  the  same 
time. 

But  never  a  smile  did  they  get  from  the  fair  Princess. 
There  was  not  a  man  living,  be  he  king  or  peasant,  who  was 
good  enough  to  become  her  husband,  she  said. 

So  when  the  twenty  kings  heard  this,  nineteen  of  them  took 
their  hats  at  once,  and  set  off  in  a  body  to  search  for  brides 
who  were  a  little  less  charming  and  a  little  easier  to  please. 

But  the   twentieth  man,   the   King  of  the  Golden   Mines, 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

was  so  much  in  love  with  All-fair,  that  he  stayed  behind  in 
the  hope  that  she  would  change  her  mind. 

"  This  will  never  do,"  said  the  Queen  one  day.  "  Here 
am  I  getting  quite  old,  and  I  want  to  see  All-fair  safely 
married  and  settled  down  before  I  die.  I  must  go  and  visit 
the  Desert  Fairy,  and  see  if  she  will  give  me  some  advice  as 
to  how  I  can  manage  my  stubborn  daughter." 

Now  you  must  know  that  it  was  a  very  hard  task  indeed  to 
reach  the  Desert  Fairy,  for  she  was  guarded  by  two  fierce 
and  terrible  lions.  The  only  way  to  get  past  the  animals  was 
to  throw  them  a  huge  cake  made  from  crocodiles'  eggs,  millet, 
and  sugar  candy. 

So  the  Queen  set  to  work,  and  with  her  own  royal  hands 
she  prepared  one  of  these  cakes;  then  she  placed  it  in  a 
basket  and  set  out  for  the  home  of  the  Desert  Fairy. 

Well,  the  day  was  hot,  and  the  cake  was  heavy,  and  before 
long  the  Queen  was  lying  fast  asleep  under  a  big  tree. 

Suddenly  a  terrible  roar  awakened  her,  and  she  looked 
round  for  her  cake  to  throw  to  the  angry  lions,  but  to  her 
horror  it  was  gone. 

"  What  is  to  become  of  me  ? "  cried  the  poor  Queen  in 
terror,  and  she  burst  into  tears. 

"  Hem !  hem !  "  cried  a  small  voice,  and  the  Queen  looked 
all  around  her  to  see  who  could  be  speaking. 

At  last  she  looked  upward,  and  there,  in  the  branches  of 
the  big  orange  tree  overhead,  sat  a  little  yellow  man.  He  was 
just  half  a  yard  high,  and  he  was  eating  oranges  as  quickly 
as  ever  he  could ;  in  fact,  he  didn't  even  stop  eating  while 
he  spoke  to  the  Queen,  which,  of  course,  was  very  rude. 

"  Ah,  Queen ! "  he  went  on,  "  there  is  only  one  way  by 
which  you  can  escape  the  lions,  and  that  is  by  letting  me 
marry  your  daughter." 

The  Queen  was  so  surprised  that  she  even  stopped  crying. 
The  idea  of  that  hideous  little  creature  marrying  her  beau 
tiful  daughter  was  quite  absurd,  and  she  was  just  about  to 
tell  him  so  when  again  she  heard  the  dreadful  roaring  of 
the  lions.  "  Be  quick  and  make  up  your  mind !  "  cried  the 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Yellow  Dwarf.  (He  was  called  the  Yellow  Dwarf,  you 
know,  because  he  lived  in  the  orange  tree,  and  he  had 
eaten  so  much  of  the  fruit  that  his  skin  had  become  the 
same  color.)  "Just  remember  you  have  no  cake  to  throw 
to  the  lions." 

So,  to  save  her  life,  the  Queen  was  forced  to  give  her 
consent  to  a  marriage  between  the  Yellow  Dwarf  and  her 
beautiful  daughter. 

No  sooner  did  she  agree  to  the  match  than  she  began  to 
feel  very  drowsy,  and  the  next  minute  the  Queen  found  her 
self  safely  back  in  her  own  palace. 

She  was  so  filled  with  sadness  at  the  thought  of  her  promise 
to  the  dwarf  that  a  fit  of  deep  gloom  settled  upon  her,  and 
for  weeks  she  never  smiled. 

The  Princess  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  know  what  had  come 
over  her  mother;  so  in  the  end  she,  too,  made  up  her  mind 
to  visit  the  Desert  Fairy  in  the  hope  that  she  would  be  able 
to  tell  her  what  ailed  the  Queen. 

Then  All-fair  set  to  work  and  made  a  cake  from  the  croco 
diles'  eggs,  millet,  and  sugar  candy,  and  when  it  was  ready 
she  started  off  for  the  Desert  Fairy's  grotto. 

She  soon  reached  the  fatal  orange  tree,  and  the  fruit 
looked  so  very  tempting  that  All-fair  laid  her  cake  upon  the 
ground  and  began  to  pick  and  eat  the  ripe  oranges. 

Just  then  one  of  the  lions  gave  a  terrible  roar,  and  All-fair 
looked  for  her  cake  to  throw  to  them.  Alas,  it  was  gone! 
and  the  maiden  began  to  weep  bitterly. 

"  Dry  your  eyes,  lovely  Princess ! "  cried  a  voice,  and, 
looking  up,  All-fair  spied  the  Yellow  Dwarf. 

"  You  need  not  trouble  to  go  to  the  Desert  Fairy,"  went 
on  the  dwarf,  "  for  I  can  tell  you  what  ails  your  mother." 

"  I  shall  be  obliged  if  you  will  tell  me  at  once,  then,"  re 
plied  All-fair. 

"  Oh,  it  is  all  your  fault,"  said  the  Yellow  Dwarf. 

"  How  dare  you  say  such  things !  "  cried  the  Princess.  "  It 
is  nothing  of  the  sort." 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  is,"  answered  the  dwarf,  with  a  grin.  "  Your 

[173] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

mother  is  sorry  now  that  she  promised  you  to  me  in  mar 
riage." 

"  I  am  sure  my  mother  did  not  promise  me  to  a  fright  like 
you,"  cried  the  angry  Princess,  "  and  I  will  not  marry  you !  " 

"  Oh,  please  yourself,"  answered  the  Yellow  Dwarf ;  "  but 
if  you  don't  marry  me  you  will  make  a  fine  meal  for  the 
lions,  that  is  all." 

Just  at  that  moment  the  lions  began  to  roar  louder  than 
ever. 

"  Well,  to  save  my  life,"  cried  poor  All-fair,  "  I  will  agree 
to  marry  you." 

"I  wouldn't  have  you  now,"  said  the  dwarf,  with  an  air 
of  disdain. 

"  Oh,  please  do,"  begged  All-fair,  "  or  I  shall  be  torn  to 
pieces  by  the  lions !  " 

"  I'll  marry  you  out  of  charity  then,"  said  the  Yellow 
Dwarf.  "  But  don't  suppose  that  I  really  want  a  vain 
creature  like  you." 

At  that  instant  the  Princess  found  herself  growing  very 
drowsy,  and  the  next  minute  she  was  back  again  at  the  palace, 
and  on  her  finger  was  a  ring  made  of  a  single  red  hair,  which 
she  could  not  take  off. 

After  that  All-fair  grew  sad,  for  she  feared  that  the  Yel 
low  Dwarf  might  claim  her. 

Of  course  nobody  knew  the  cause  of  her  sadness,  and  they 
all  wondered  what  it  could  be. 

So  the  Queen's  ministers  held  a  cabinet  meeting,  and  they 
agreed  to  ask  the  Princess  bnce  more  if  she  would  marry, 
for  they  thought  the  excitement  of  choosing  her  wedding 
gown  would  rouse  her  from  her  gloom. 

To  the  great  surprise  of  them  all,  All-fair  said  she  was 
quite  willing  to  do  as  they  wished.  So  the  King  of  the 
Golden  Mines  had  his  reward  for  waiting  so  long,  for  the 
Princess  chose  him  as  her  husband.  He  was  very  rich  and 
powerful,  and  so  gallant,  that  All-fair  thought  when  once  she 
was  his  wife  she  need  fear  the  Yellow  Dwarf  no  more. 

The  wedding  day  arrived  at  last,  and  as  the  guests  were 

[174] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

on   their   way   to   the   church   they   saw   a   big   box  moving 
toward  them,  and  on  the  top  sat  a  very  ugly  old  woman. 

"  Stop !  "  she  cried,  with  a  dreadful  frown.  "  Do  you  re 
member  the  promise  you  made  to  my  friend,  the  Yellow 
Dwarf?  I  am  the  Desert  Fairy,  and  if  All-fair  does  not 
marry  the  dwarf  she  will  taste  my  wrath,  you  will  find." 

This  speech  made  the  brave  King  of  the  Golden  Mines 
so  angry  that  he  drew  his  sword,  and  shouted  loudly: 

"  Begone,  or  I  will  take  your  evil  life !  " 

As  soon  as  he  uttered  these  words,  off  flew  the  top  of  the 
box,  and  out  came  the  Yellow  Dwarf  seated  upon  a  big, 
black  Spanish  cat. 

"  Not  so  fast !  "  cried  the  Yellow  Dwarf.  "  I  am  your 
rival,  so  do  not  vent  your  wrath  upon  the  Desert  Fairy.  I 
claim  the  Princess  for  my  bride,  and  in  token  of  her  promise 
to  me,  on  her  finger  you  will  find  a  ring  made  of  a  single 
red  hair." 

"It  is  false!"  cried  the  King  of  the  Golden  Mines,  and 
he  made  a  dash,  sword  in  hand,  for  the  Yellow  Dwarf. 

But  quick  as  thought  the  dwarf  drew  his  sword  also,  and 
he  rode  forward  on  his  Spanish  cat. 

Well,  they  fought  long  and  fiercely,  but  the  King  was  not 
able  to  overcome  the  dwarf  because  he  was  protected  by  two 
enormous  giants,  who  stood  one  on  each  side  of  him. 

Suddenly  the  Desert  Fairy  stepped  forward,  and  on  her 
head  was  a  wreath  of  big,  curling  snakes.  Raising  her  lance, 
she  struck  the  Princess  such  a  blow  that  All-fair  sank  faint 
ing  into  her  mother's  arms. 

"  Revenge !  "  shouted  the  King  of  the  Golden  Mines,  and 
he  rushed  to  the  aid  of  his  love,  as  a  brave  man  would,  of 
course. 

But,  alas !  he  was  too  late,  for  the  dwarf  had  torn  her  from 
her  mother's  arms,  lifted  her  on  to  his  Spanish  cat,  and  the 
next  minute  they  were  flying  through  the  air  beyond  his 
reach. 

The  poor  King  was  so  surprised  that  all  he  could  do  was 
to  gaze  up  toward  the  clouds  and  wonder  what  would  hap- 

[175] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

pen  next.     Suddenly  a  mist  gathered  before  his  eyes,  and 
he  felt  himself  being  carried  up  into  the  air  also. 

Now  you  must  know  that  the  ugly  old  Desert  Fairy  had 
fallen  madly  in  love  with  the  King  of  the  Golden  Mines,  and 
she  had  made  up  her  mind  that  he  should  never  marry  All- 
fair;  so  she  carried  him  off  to  secure  him  for  herself. 

Up  into  the  air  they  went  until  they  reached  a  gloomy 
cave.  Then  the  fairy  set  him  down,  and  restored  his  sight 
by  means  of  her  magic  arts. 

"  He  is  sure  to  fall  in  love  with  me,"  she  cried  to  her 
self,  "  now  that  All-fair  is  safely  out  of  the  way ! " 

But  it  was  not  a  bit  of  use,  for  she  was  so  ugly  that  the 
King  only  looked  the  other  way  the  whole  time,  and  this 
made  her  very  angry  indeed. 

So  the  fairy  tried  another  plan.  She  took  the  form  of  a 
beautiful  maiden,  and  placed  the  King  in  a  splendid  chariot, 
drawn  by  two  snow-white  swans. 

Then  she,  too,  stepped  in,  and  together  they  sailed  away 
through  the  air. 

"  He'll  never  resist  my  charms  this  time,'*  she  said  to 
herself.  But  she  found  out  her  mistake  very  soon,  I  can 
tell  you.  You  see,  although  the  fairy  could  change  her  form 
at  will,  her  feet  always  remained  the  same,  and  the  King 
caught  sight  of  two  ugly  webbed  feet,  that  looked  as  if  they 
belonged  to  a  griffin ;  so  he  was  not  deceived  at  all,  and  knew 
her  to  be  the  Desert  Fairy,  in  spite  of  the  disguise. 

On  and  on  they  went,  and  once  the  King  chanced  to 
look  downward.  There  he  saw  a  castle  built  of  bright  pol 
ished  steel,  and  on  the  balcony  stood  All-fair  weeping  very 
bitterly. 

All-fair  chanced  to  look  upward,  and  she  spied  the  chariot 
drawn  by  the  snow-white  swans.  Although  it  passed  along 
very  quickly,  she  could  see  the  King  seated  inside  with  a 
lovely  maiden,  and  as  she  did  not  know  it  was  the  Desert 
Fairy,  she  felt  very  jealous  indeed. 

Soon  the  chariot  alighted  at  a  lonely  palace,  shut  in  by  a 
wall  of  emeralds  on  one  side  and  the  sea  on  the  other. 

[176] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Well,  the  King  just  cast  his  eyes  around  the  place,  and 
made  up  his  mind  not  to  stay  there  long. 

"I'll  escape  somehow,"  he  said  to  himself;  and  he  did, 
too,  before  very  long. 

He  pretended  to  be  in  love  with  the  Desert  Fairy,  and  this 
pleased  and  flattered  her  so  much  that  she  began  to  treat  him 
very  kindly  indeed.  She  even  allowed  him  to  walk  alone 
on  the  seashore  for  half  an  hour  each  day. 

One  morning  as  the  King  stood  upon  the  beach  he  was 
surprised  to  see  a  charming  mermaid  rise  up  from  the  water. 

"  King  of  the  Golden  Mines,"  she  said,  "  I  know  your  story, 
and  have  the  power  to  set  you  free.  I  can  also  restore  your 
Princess  All-fair  to  you  once  more.  Now,  as  I  am  an  enemy 
of  the  Desert  Fairy,  I  will  do  this  for  you." 

The  King  thanked  her,  of  course,  and  the  mermaid  bade 
him  set  himself  upon  her  tail,  and  away  they  sailed  at  full 
speed  across  the  blue  ocean  until  they  had  gone  many  miles. 

"  The  Princess,  you  must  know,"  said  the  mermaid,  "  is 
being  kept  a  prisoner  by  the  Yellow  Dwarf.  She  is  in  a  bright 
steel  castle,  and  in  another  hour  we  shall  reach  the  place." 

On  they  went  still  farther,  and  at  length  the  mermaid  set 
the  King  down  upon  the  seashore. 

'  The  rest  of  the  journey,"  she  said,  "  you  must  take  alone, 
and  you  will  have  many  enemies  to  fight  before  you  reach  the 
Princess.  But,"  she  added,  "  I  will  present  you  with  this 
magic  sword,  which  will  overcome  everything,  so  long  as 
you  never  let  it  out  of  your  hand." 

The  King  took  the  sword,  and  thanked  the  mermaid  again 
and  again,  and  then  he  set  out  to  seek  the  steel  castle. 

But  before  he  had  gone  a  hundred  yards,  four  terrible 
griffins  attacked  him,  and  the  King  stood  a  good  chance  of 
being  torn  to  pieces  by  their  long  claws.  Just  in  time,  how 
ever,  he  remembered  his  magic  sword,  and  no  sooner  did 
the  four  griffins  behold  it  than  they  sank  to  the  ground, 
blinded  by  its  brightness. 

After  that  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  cut  off  their  heads, 
and  the  King  went  on  his  way  again. 

[177] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Soon  after  he  met  six  big  dragons,  and  each  one  was 
covered  with  scales  like  cast  iron.  But  by  means  of  his 
magic  sword  the  King  was  able  to  kill  them  also,  and  then  he 
hoped  his  troubles  were  nearly  over. 

Alas!  before  he  had  gone  many  yards,  twenty-four 
nymphs,  all  lovely  as  the  sun,  set  themselves  right  in 
his  path. 

"  Our  business,"  they  said,  "  is  to  keep  you  from  reach 
ing  the  steel  castle.  If  we  let  you  pass,  all  our  lives  will 
be  sacrificed.  We  have  done  you  no  harm,  so  do  go  back 
again  that  our  innocent  lives  may  be  spared." 

Well,  the  King  scarcely  knew  how  to  act;  it  seemed  a  pity 
to  destroy  such  lovely  creatures,  and  yet  get  to  the  steel 
castle  he  must. 

"  Strike !  Strike !  "  cried  a  voice  loudly,  "  or  you  will 
lose  your  Princess  forever !  " 

So  his  Majesty  destroyed  the  whole  twenty- four  of  them, 
and  at  that  moment  the  steel  castle  appeared  in  sight. 

On  the  balcony  stood  All-fair,  just  as  she  had  been  when 
he  passed  through  the  air  in  the  chariot  drawn  by  swans. 

"  Princess,"  he  cried,  "  your  faithful  lover  has  returned  at 
last!" 

"  Faithful  indeed !  "  replied  All-fair  angrily.  "  You  were 
not  faithful  when  I  saw  you  being  carried  through  the  air 
in  company  with  a  beautiful  maiden." 

"  Indeed  I  was,"  replied  the  King  of  the  Golden  Mines. 
"  The  maiden  you  saw  was  the  wicked  Desert  Fairy.  She 
carried  me  off  to  an  island,  and  there  I  should  be  now,  if 
a  kind  mermaid  had  not  set  me  free." 

Then  the  King  cast  himself  at  her  feet;  but,  unfortunately, 
he  managed  to  drop  the  magic  sword  over  the  balcony. 

Out  popped  the  ugly  Yellow  Dwarf  from  behind  a  big 
cabbage,  where  he  was  hiding,  and  he  snapped  up  the  sword 
in  a  trice. 

The  Princess  gave  a  loud  shriek  when  she  set  eyes  on  the 
dwarf,  but  the  little  man,  who  knew  well  what  a  treasure 
the  sword  was,  just  uttered  two  magic  words,  with  the  weapon 


THE   FA1RT   RING 

in  his  hand,  and  there  appeared  two  terrible  giants,  who  at 
once  bound  the  King  in  chains  in  spite  of  his  struggles. 

"  Now,"  chuckled  the  Yellow  Dwarf,  "  your  lover  is  in 
my  power.  If  he  will  consent  to  your  becoming  my  bride, 
I  will  set  him  free  at  once." 

"  Never !  "  cried  the  King  of  the  Golden  Mines. 

"  Then  take  that,"  replied  the  Yellow  Dwarf,  and  he  buried 
the  magic  sword  in  the  heart  of  the  King. 

The  poor  Princess  was  filled  with  sorrow  at  the  loss  of  her 
lover,  and  she  cried  loudly : 

"  Hideous  dwarf,  you  have  gained  nothing  by  slaying  my 
lover,  for  I  will  never  marry  you.  Since  he  is  dead,  I  will 
die  too." 

Then  she  seized  the  sword  and  plunged  it  into  her  own 
heart. 

The  good  mermaid  was  very  unhappy  when  she  heard  what 
had  taken  place,  but  as  her  only  power  lay  in  the  magic 
sword,  she  could  help  them  no  further. 

So  she  changed  them  into  two  palm  trees,  growing  side 
by  side,  and  every  time  the  soft  breezes  blew,  their  branches 
caressed  and  kissed  each  other,  so  they  were  happy  together, 
after  all,  in  spite  of  the  ugly  Yellow  Dwarf. 


Graciosa   and   Percinet 

X^VNCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  King  and  Queen  who 
i  1  had  one  charming  daughter.  She  was  so  graceful 
^-^  and  pretty  and  clever  that  she  was  called  Graciosa, 
and  the  Queen  was  so  fond  of  her  that  she  could  think  of 
nothing  else. 

Every  day  she  gave  the  Princess  a  lovely  new  frock  of 
gold  brocade,  or  satin,  or  velvet,  and  when  she  was  hungry 
she  had  bowls  full  of  sugarplums,  and  at  least  twenty  pots 
of  jam.  Everybody  said  she  was  the  happiest  princess  in  the 
world.  Now  there  lived  at  this  same  court  a  very  rich 

[179] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

old  Duchess  whose  name  was  Crumbly.  She  was  more 
frightful  than  tongue  can  tell ;  her  hair  was  red  as  fire,  and 
she  had  but  one  eye,  and  that  not  a  pretty  one!  Her  face 
was  as  broad  as  a  full  moon,  and  her  mouth  was  so  large 
that  everybody  who  met  her  would  have  been  afraid  they 
were  going  to  be  eaten  up,  only  she  had  no  teeth.  As  she 
was  as  cross  as  she  was  ugly,  she  could  not  bear  to  hear 
everyone  saying  how  pretty  and  how  charming  Graciosa 
was ;  so  she  presently  went  away  from  the  court  to  her  own 
castle,  which  was  not  far  off.  But  if  anybody  who  went 
to  see  her  happened  to  mention  the  charming  Princess,  she 
would  cry  angrily : 

"  It's  not  true  that  she  is  lovely.  I  have  more  beauty 
in  my  little  finger  than  she  has  in  her  whole  body." 

Soon  after  this,  to  the  great  grief  of  the  Princess,  the 
Queen  was  taken  ill  and  died,  and  the  King  became  so 
melancholy  that  for  a  whole  year  he  shut  himself  up  in  his 
palace.  At  last  his  physicians,  fearing  that  he  would  fall 
ill,  ordered  that  he  should  go  out  and  amuse  himself;  so  a 
hunting  party  was  arranged,  but  as  it  was  very  hot  weather 
the  King  soon  grew  tired,  and  said  he  would  dismount  and 
rest  at  a  castle  which  they  were  passing. 

This  happened  to  be  the  Duchess  Crumbly 's  castle,  and 
when  she  heard  that  the  King  was  coming  she  went  out  to 
meet  him,  and  said  that  the  cellar  was  the  coolest  place  in 
the  whole  castle  if  he  would  condescend  to  come  down  into 
it.  So  down  they  went  together,  and  the  King  seeing  about 
two  hundred  great  casks  ranged  side  by  side,  asked  if  it 
was  only  for  herself  that  she  had  this  immense  store  of 
wine. 

"  Yes,  sire,"  answered  she,  "  it  is  for  myself  alone,  but 
I  shall  be  most  happy  to  let  you  taste  some  of  it.  Which 
do  you  like,  canary,  St.  Julien,  champagne,  hermitage  sack, 
raisin,  or  cider  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  King,  "  since  you  are  so  kind  as  to  ask 
me,  I  prefer  champagne  to  anything  else." 

Then  Duchess  Crumbly  took  up  a  little  hammer  and 

[180] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

tapped  upon  the  cask  twice,  and  out  came  at  least  a  thousand 
crowns. 

"What's  the  meaning  of  this?"  said  she,  smiling. 

Then  she  tapped  the  next  cask,  and  out  came  a  bushel  of 
gold  pieces. 

"  I  don't  understand  this  at  all,"  said  the  Duchess,  smiling 
more  than  before. 

Then  she  went  on  to  the  third  cask,  tap,  tap,  and  out  came 
such  a  stream  of  diamonds  and  pearls  that  the  ground  was 
covered  with  them. 

"  Ah !  "  she  cried,  "  this  is  altogether  beyond  my  compre 
hension,  sire.  Some  one  must  have  stolen  my  good  wine 
and  put  all  this  rubbish  in  its  place." 

"  Rubbish,  do  you  call  it,  Madam  Crumbly  ? "  cried  the 
King.  "  Rubbish !  why  there  is  enough  there  to  buy  ten 
kingdoms." 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  you  must  know  that  all  those  casks  are 
full  of  gold  and  jewels,  and  if  you  like  to  marry  me  it  shall 
all  be  yours." 

Now  the  King  loved  money  more  than  anything  else  in 
the  world,  so  he  cried  joyfully: 

"  Marry  you  ?  why,  with  all  my  heart !  to-morrow  if  you 
like." 

"  But  I  make  one  condition,"  said  the  Duchess ;  "  I  must 
have  entire  control  of  your  daughter  to  do  as  I  please  with 
her." 

"  Oh,  certainly,  you  shall  have  your  own  way ;  let  us  shake 
hands  upon  the  bargain,"  said  the  King. 

So  they  shook  hands  and  went  up  out  of  the  cellar  of 
treasure  together,  and  the  Duchess  locked  the  door  and  gave 
the  key  to  the  King. 

When  he  returned  to  his  own  palace  Graciosa  ran  out  to 
meet  him,  and  asked  if  he  had  had  good  sport. 

"  I  have  caught  a  dove,"  answered  he. 

"  Oh !  do  give  it  to  me,"  said  the  Princess,  "  and  I  will 
keep  it  and  take  care  of  it." 

"  I  can  hardly  do  that,"  said  he,  "  for,  to  speak  more 

[181] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

plainly,  I  mean  that  I  met  the  Duchess  Crumbly,  and  have 
promised  to  marry  her/' 

"  And  you  call  her  a  dove  ? "  cried  the  Princess.  "  I 
should  have  called  her  a  screech  owl." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,"  said  the  King  very  crossly.  "  I  in 
tend  you  to  behave  prettily  to  her.  So  now  go  and  make 
yourself  fit  to  be  seen,  as  I  am  going  to  take  you  to  visit 
her." 

So  the  Princess  went  very  sorrowfully  to  her  own  room, 
and  her  nurse,  seeing  her  tears,  asked  what  was  vexing  her. 

"  Alas !  who  would  not  be  vexed  ?  "  answered  she,  "  for 
the  King  intends  to  marry  again,  and  has  chosen  for  his 
new  bride  my  enemy,  the  hideous  Duchess  Crumbly." 

"  Oh,  well !  "  answered  the  nurse,  "  you  must  remember 
that  you  are  a  Princess,  and  are  expected  to  set  a  good 
example  in  making  the  best  of  whatever  happens.  You  must 
promise  me  not  to  let  the  Duchess  see  how  much  you  dislike 
her." 

At  first  the  Princess  would  not  promise,  but  the  nurse 
showed  her  so  many  good  reasons  for  it  that  in  the  end  she 
agreed  to  be  amiable  to  her  stepmother. 

Then  the  nurse  dressed  her  in  a  robe  of  pale  green  and 
gold  brocade,  and  combed  out  her  long  fair  hair  till  it 
floated  round  her  like  a  golden  mantle,  and  put  on  her  head 
a  crown  of  roses  and  jasmine  with  emerald  leaves. 

When  she  was  ready  nobody  could  have  been  prettier, 
but  she  still  could  not  help  looking  sad. 

Meanwhile  the  Duchess  Crumbly  was  also  occupied  in 
attiring  herself.  She  had  one  of  her  shoe  heels  made  an 
inch  or  so  higher  than  the  other,  that  she  might  not  limp 
so  much,  and  put  a  cunningly  made  glass  eye  in  the  place 
of  the  one  she  had  lost.  She  dyed  her  red  hair  black,  and 
painted  her  face.  Then  she  put  on  a  gorgeous  robe  of 
lilac  satin  lined  with  blue,  and  a  yellow  petticoat  trimmed 
with  violet  ribbons,  and  because  she  had  heard  that  queens 
always  rode  into  their  new  dominions,  she  ordered  a  horse 
to  be  made  ready  for  her  to  ride. 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

While  Graciosa  was  waiting  until  the  King  should  be 
ready  to  set  out,  she  went  down  all  alone  through  the  gar 
den  into  a  little  wood,  where  she  sat  down  upon  a  mossy 
bank  and  began  to  think.  And  her  thoughts  were  so  doleful 
that  very  soon  she  began  to  cry,  and  she  cried  and  cried, 
and  forgot  all  about  going  back  to  the  palace,  until  she 
suddenly  saw  a  handsome  page  standing  before  her.  He 
was  dressed  in  green,  and  the  cap  which  he  held  in  his 
hand  was  adorned  with  white  plumes.  When  Graciosa  looked 
at  him  he  went  down  on  one  knee,  and  said  to  her : 

"  Princess,  the  King  awaits  you." 

The  Princess  was  surprised,  and,  if  the  truth  must  be 
told,  very  much  delighted  at  the  appearance  of  this  charm 
ing  page,  whom  she  could  not  remember  to  have  seen  be 
fore.  Thinking  he  might  belong  to  the  household  of  the 
Duchess,  she  said: 

"  How  long  have  you  been  one  of  the  King's  pages  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  in  the  service  of  the  King,  madam,"  answered 
he,  "  but  in  yours." 

"  In  mine  ?  "  said  the  Princess  with  great  surprise.  '  Then 
how  is  it  that  I  have  never  seen  you  before  ?  " 

"  Ah,  Princess !  "  said  he,  "  I  have  never  before  dared  to 
present  myself  to  you,  but  now  the  King's  marriage  threatens 
you  with  so  many  dangers  that  I  have  resolved  to  tell  you 
at  once  how  much  I  love  you  already,  and  I  trust  that  in 
time  I  may  win  your  regard.  I  am  Prince  Percinet,  of 
whose  riches  you  may  have  heard,  and  whose  fairy  gift  will, 
I  hope,  be  of  use  to  you  in  all  your  difficulties,  if  you 
will  permit  me  to  accompany  you  under  this  disguise." 

"Ah,  Percinet!"  cried  the  Princess,  "is  it  really  you? 
I  have  so  often  heard  of  you  and  wished  to  see  you.  If 
you  will  indeed  be  my  friend,  I  shall  not  be  afraid  of  that 
wicked  old  Duchess  any  more." 

So  they  went  back  to  the  palace  together,  and  there 
Graciosa  found  a  beautiful  horse  which  Percinet  had  brought 
for  her  to  ride.  As  it  was  very  spirited  he  led  it  by  the 
bridle,  and  this  arrangement  enabled  him  to  turn  and  look 

[183] 


THE  FAIRT  RING 

at  the  Princess  often,  which  he  did  not  fail  to  do.  Indeed, 
she  was  so  pretty  that  it  was  a  real  pleasure  to  look  at  her. 
When  the  horse  which  the  Duchess  was  to  ride  appeared 
beside  Graciosa's,  it  looked  no  better  than  an  old  cart  horse, 
and  as  to  their  trappings,  there  was  simply  no  comparison 
between  them,  as  the  Princess's  saddle  and  bridle  were  one 
glittering  mass  of  diamonds.  The  King  had  so  many  other 
things  to  think  of  that  he  did  not  notice  this,  but  all  his 
courtiers  were  entirely  taken  up  with  admiring  the  Princess 
and  her  charming  page  in  green,  who  was  more  handsome 
and  distinguished  looking  than  all  the  rest  of  the  court  put 
together. 

When  they  met  the  Duchess  Crumbly  she  was  seated  in 
an  open  carriage  trying  in  vain  to  look  dignified.  The  King 
and  the  Princess  saluted  her,  and  her  horse  was  brought 
forward  for  her  to  mount.  But  when  she  saw  Graciosa's 
she  cried  angrily : 

"  If  that  child  is  to  have  a  better  horse  than  mine,  I  will 
go  back  to  my  own  castle  this  very  minute.  What  is  the 
good  of  being  a  Queen,  if  one  is  to  be  slighted  like  this  ?  " 

Upon  this  the  King  commanded  Graciosa  to  dismount  and 
to  beg  the  Duchess  to  honor  her  by  mounting  her  horse.  The 
Princess  obeyed  in  silence,  and  the  Duchess,  without  looking 
at  her  or  thanking  her,  scrambled  up  upon  the  beautiful 
horse,  where  she  sat  looking  like  a  bundle  of  clothes,  and 
eight  officers  had  to  hold  her  up  for  fear  she  should  fall  off. 

Even  then  she  was  not  satisfied,  and  was  still  grumbling 
and  muttering,  so  they  asked  her  what  was  the  matter. 

"  I  wish  that  page  in  green  to  come  and  lead  the  horse,  as 
he  did  when  Graciosa  rode  it,"  said  she  very  sharply. 

And  the  King  ordered  the  page  to  come  and  lead  the 
Queen's  horse.  Percinet  and  the  Princess  looked  at  one  an 
other,  but  said  never  a  word,  and  then  he  did  as  the  King 
commanded,  and  the  procession  started  in  great  pomp.  The 
Duchess  was  greatly  elated,  and  as  she  sat  there  in  state 
would  not  have  wished  to  change  places  even  with  Graciosa. 
But  at  the  moment  when  it  was  least  expected  the  beautiful 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

horse  began  to  plunge  and  rear  and  kick,  and  finally  to  run 
away  at  such  a  pace  that  it  was  impossible  to  stop  him. 

At  first  the  Duchess  clung  to  the  saddle,  but  she  was  very 
soon  thrown  off  and  fell  in  a  heap  among  the  stones  and 
thorns,  and  there  they  found  her,  shaken  to  a  jelly,  and  col 
lected  what  was  left  of  her  as  if  she  had  been  a  broken 
glass.  Her  bonnet  was  here  and  her  shoes  there,  her  face 
was  scratched,  and  her  fine  clothes  were  covered  with  mud. 
Never  was  a  bride  seen  in  such  a  dismal  plight.  They  car 
ried  her  back  to  the  palace  and  put  her  to  bed,  but  as  soon 
as  she  recovered  enough  to  be  able  to  speak,  she  began  to 
scold  and  rage,  and  declared  that  the  whole  affair  was 
Graciosa's  fault,  that  she  had  contrived  it  on  purpose  to  try 
and  get  rid  of  her,  and  that  if  the  King  would  not  have 
her  punished,  she  would  go  back  to  her  castle  and  enjoy 
her  riches  by  herself. 

At  this  the  King  was  terribly  frightened,  for  he  did  not 
at  all  want  to  lose  all  those  barrels  of  gold  and  jewels.  So 
he  hastened  to  appease  the  Duchess,  and  told  her  she  might 
punish  Graciosa  in  any  way  she  pleased. 

Thereupon  she  sent  for  Graciosa,  who  turned  pale  and 
trembled  at  the  summons,  for  she  guessed  that  it  promised 
nothing  agreeable  for  her.  She  looked  all  about  for  Per- 
cinet,  but  he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen;  so  she  had  no  choice 
but  to  go  to  the  Duchess  Grumbly's  room.  She  had  hardly 
got  inside  the  door  when  she  was  seized  by  four  waiting 
women,  who  looked  so  tall  and  strong  and  cruel  that  the 
Princess  shuddered  at  the  sight  of  them,  and  still  more  when 
she  saw  them  arming  themselves  with  great  bundles  of  rods, 
and  heard  the  Duchess  call  out  to  them  from  her  bed  to 
beat  the  Princess  without  mercy.  Poor  Graciosa  wished  mis 
erably  that  Percinet  could  only  know  what  was  happening 
and  come  to  rescue  her.  But  no  sooner  did  they  begin  to 
beat  her  than  she  found,  to  her  great  relief,  that  the  rods 
had  changed  to  bundles  of  peacocks'  feathers,  and  though  the 
Duchess's  women  went  on  till  they  were  so  tired  that  they 
could  no  longer  raise  their  arms  from  their  sides,  yet  she  was 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

not  hurt  in  the  least.  However,  the  Duchess  thought  she  must 
be  black  and  blue  after  such  a  beating;  so  Graciosa,  when 
she  was  released,  pretended  to  feel  very  ill,  and  went  away 
into  her  own  room,  where  she  told  her  nurse  all  that  had 
happened,  and  then  the  nurse  left  her,  and  when  the  Prin 
cess  turned  round  there  stood  Percinet  beside  her.  She 
thanked  him  gratefully  for  helping  her  so  cleverly,  and  they 
laughed  and  were  very  merry  over  the  way  they  had  taken 
in  the  Duchess  and  her  waiting  maids ;  but  Percinet  advised 
her  still  to  pretend  to  be  ill  for  a  few  days  and  after 
promising  to  come  to  her  aid  whenever  she  needed  him,  he 
disappeared  as  suddenly  as  he  had  come. 

The  Duchess  was  so  delighted  at  the  idea  that  Graciosa 
was  really  ill  that  she  herself  recovered  twice  as  fast  as  she 
would  have  done  otherwise,  and  the  wedding  was  held  with 
great  magnificence.  Now  as  the  King  knew  that,  above  all 
other  things,  the  Queen  loved  to  be  told  that  she  was  beau 
tiful,  he  ordered  that  her  portrait  should  be  painted,  and 
that  a  tournament  should  be  held,  at  which  all  the  bravest 
knights  of  his  court  should  maintain  against  all  comers  that 
Crumbly  was  the  most  beautiful  princess  in  the  world. 

Numbers  of  knights  came  from  far  and  wide  to  accept  the 
challenge,  and  the  hideous  Queen  sat  in  great  state  in  a  bal 
cony  hung  with  cloth  of  gold  to  watch  the  contests,  and 
Graciosa  had  to  stand  up  behind  her,  where  her  loveliness 
was  so  conspicuous  that  the  combatants  could  not  keep  their 
eyes  off  her.  But  the  Queen  was  so  vain  that  she  thought 
all  their  admiring  glances  were  for  herself,  especially  as,  in 
spite  of  the  badness  of  their  cause,  the  King's  knights  were 
so  brave  that  they  were  the  victors  in  every  combat. 

However,  when  nearly  all  the  strangers  had  been  de 
feated,  a  young  unknown  knight  presented  himself.  He 
carried  a  portrait,  inclosed  in  a  box  incrusted  with  diamonds, 
and  he  declared  himself  willing  to  maintain  against  them  all, 
that  the  Queen  was  the  ugliest  creature  in  the  world,  and 
that  the  Princess  whose  portrait  he  carried  was  the  most 
beautiful. 

[186] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

So  one  by  one  the  knights  came  out  against  him,  and  one 
by  one  he  vanquished  them  all,  and  then  he  opened  the  box, 
and  said  that,  to  console  them,  he  would  show  them  the 
portrait  of  his  queen  of  beauty,  and  when  he  did  so,  everyone 
recognized  the  Princess  Graciosa.  The  unknown  knight  then 
saluted  her  gracefully  and  retired,  without  telling  his  name 
to  anybody.  But  Graciosa  had  no  difficulty  in  guessing  that 
it  was  Percinet. 

As  to  the  Queen,  she  was  so  furiously  angry  that  she 
could  hardly  speak;  but  she  soon  recovered  her  voice,  and 
overwhelmed  Graciosa  with  a  torrent  of  reproaches. 

"  What !  "  she  said,  "  do  you  dare  to  dispute  with  me  for 
the  prize  of  beauty,  and  expect  me  to  endure  this  insult  to 
my  knights?  But  I  will  not  bear  it,  proud  Princess.  I  will 
have  my  revenge/' 

"  I  assure  you,  madam,"  said  the  Princess,  "  that  I  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it  and  am  quite  willing  that  you  shall 
be  declared  queen  of  beauty." 

"Ah!  you  are  pleased  to  jest,  popinjay!"  said  the  Queen, 
"  but  it  will  be  my  turn  soon !  " 

The  King  was  speedily  told  what  had  happened,  and  how 
the  Princess  was  in  terror  of  the  angry  Queen,  but  he  only 
said: 

"  The  Queen  must  do  as  she  pleases.  Graciosa  belongs 
to  her !  " 

The  wicked  Queen  waited  impatiently  until  night  fell,  and 
then  she  ordered  her  carriage  to  be  brought.  Graciosa,  much 
against  her  will,  was  forced  into  it,  and  away  they  drove, 
and  never  stopped  until  they  reached  a  great  forest,  a 
hundred  leagues  from  the  palace.  This  forest  was  so  gloomy 
and  so  full  of  lions,  tigers,  bears,  and  wolves  that  nobody 
dared  pass  through  it  even  by  daylight,  and  here  they  set 
down  the  unhappy  Princess  in  the  middle  of  the  black  night, 
and  left  her  in  spite  of  all  her  tears  and  entreaties.  The 
Princess  stood  quite  still  at  first  from  sheer  bewilderment,  but 
when  the  last  sound  of  the  retreating  carriage  died  away  in 
the  distance  she  began  to  run  aimlessly  hither  and  thither, 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

sometimes  knocking  herself  against  a  tree,  sometimes  tripping 
over  a  stone,  fearing  every  minute  that  she  would  be  eaten 
up  by  the  lions.  Presently  she  was  too  tired  to  advance  an 
other  step,  so  she  threw  herself  down  upon  the  ground  and 
cried  miserably : 

"  O  Percinet !  where  are  you  ?  Have  you  forgotten  me 
altogether  ? " 

She  had  hardly  spoken  when  all  the  forest  was  lighted 
up  with  a  sudden  glow.  Every  tree  seemed  to  be  sending 
out  a  soft  radiance,  which  was  clearer  than  moonlight  and 
softer  than  daylight,  and  at  the  end  of  a  long  avenue  of 
trees  opposite  to  her  the  Princess  saw  a  palace  of  clear 
crystal  which  blazed  like  the  sun.  At  that  moment  a  slight 
sound  behind  her  made  her  turn  around,  and  there  stood 
Percinet  himself. 

"  Did  I  frighten  you,  my  Princess  ?  "  said  he.  "  I  come 
to  bid  you  welcome  to  our  fairy  palace,  in  the  name  of  the 
Queen,  my  mother,  who  is  prepared  to  love  you  as  much  as 
I  do."  The  Princess  joyfully  mounted  with  him  into  a  little 
sledge,  drawn  by  two  stags,  which  bounded  off  and  drew  them 
swiftly  to  the  wonderful  palace,  where  the  Queen  received 
her  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and  a  splendid  banquet  was 
served  at  once.  Graciosa  was  so  happy  to  have  found  Per 
cinet,  and  to  have  escaped  from  the  gloomy  forest  and  all 
its  terrors,  that  she  was  very  hungry  and  very  merry,  and 
they  were  a  gay  party.  After  supper  they  went  into  another 
lovely  room,  where  the  crystal  walls  were  covered  with 
pictures,  and  the  Princess  saw  with  great  surprise  that  her 
own  history  was  represented,  even  down  to  the  moment  when 
Percinet  found  her  in  the  forest. 

"  Your  painters  must  indeed  be  diligent/'  she  said,  point 
ing  out  the  last  picture  to  the  Prince. 

"  They  are  obliged  to  be,  for  I  will  not  have  anything 
forgotten  that  happens  to  you,"  he  answered. 

When  the  Princess  grew  sleepy,  twenty-four  charming 
maidens  put  her  to  bed  in  the  prettiest  room  she  had  ever 
seen,  and  then  sang  to  her  so  sweetly  that  Graciosa's  dreams 

[188] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

were  all  of  mermaids,  and  cool  sea  waves,  and  caverns,  in 
which  she  wandered  with  Percinet ;  but  when  she  woke  up 
again  her  first  thought  was  that,  delightful  as  this  fairy 
palace  seemed  to  her,  yet  she  could  not  stay  in  it,  but  must 
go  back  to  her  father.  When  she  had  been  dressed  by  the 
twenty-four  maidens  in  a  charming  robe  which  the  Queen  had 
sent  for  her,  and  in  which  she  looked  prettier  than  ever, 
Prince  Percinet  came  to  see  her,  and  was  bitterly  disappointed 
when  she  told  him  what  she  had  been  thinking.  He  begged 
her  to  consider  again  how  unhappy  the  wicked  Queen  would 
make  her,  and  how,  if  she  would  but  marry  him,  all  the 
fairy  palace  would  be  hers,  and  his  one  thought  would  be 
to  please  her.  But,  in  spite  of  everything  he  could  say,  the 
Princess  was  quite  determined  to  go  back,  though  he  at  last 
persuaded  her  to  stay  eight  days,  which  were  so  full  of 
pleasure  and  amusement  that  they  passed  like  a  few  hours. 
On  the  last  day,  Graciosa,  who  had  often  felt  anxious  to 
know  what  was  going  on  in  her  father's  palace,  said  to 
Percinet  that  she  was  sure  that  he  could  find  out  for  her, 
if  he  would,  what  reason  the  Queen  had  given  her  father 
for  her  sudden  disappearance.  Percinet  at  first  offered  to 
send  his  courier  to  find  out,  but  the  Princess  said: 

"Oh!  isn't  there  a  quicker  way  of  knowing  than  that?" 
"  Very  well,"  said  Percinet,  "  you  shall  see  for  yourself." 
So  up  they  went  together  to  the  top  of  a  very  high  tower, 
which,  like  the  rest  of  the  castle,  was  built  entirely  of  rock 
crystal. 

There  the  Prince  held  Graciosa's  hand  in  his,  and  made  her 
put  the  tip  of  her  little  finger  into  her  mouth,  and  look 
toward  the  town,  and  immediately  she  saw  the  wicked  Queen 
go  to  the  King,  and  heard  her  say  to  him :  "  That  miserable 
Princess  is  dead,  and  no  great  loss  either.  I  have  ordered 
that  she  shall  be  buried  at  once." 

And  then  the  Princess  saw  how  she  dressed  up  a  log  of 
wood  and  had  it  buried,  and  how  the  old  King  cried,  and 
all  the  people  murmured  that  the  Queen  had  killed  Graciosa 
with  her  cruelties,  and  that  she  ought  to  have  her  head  cut 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

off.  When  the  Princess  saw  that  the  King  was  so  sorry  for 
her  pretended  death  that  he  could  neither  eat  nor  drink,  she 
cried : 

"  Ah,  Percinet !  take  me  back  quickly,  if  you  love  me." 

And  so,  though  he  did  not  want  to  at  all,  he  was  obliged  to 
promise  that  he  would  let  her  go. 

"  You  may  not  regret  me,  Princess,"  he  said  sadly,  "  for 
I  fear  that  you  do  not  love  me  well  enough;  but  I  foresee 
that  you  will  more  than  once  regret  that  you  left  this  fairy 
palace  where  we  have  been  so  happy." 

But,  in  spite  of  all  he  could  say,  she  bade  farewell  to  the 
Queen,  his  mother,  and  prepared  to  set  out;  so  Percinet, 
very  unwillingly,  brought  the  little  sledge  with  the  stags  and 
she  mounted  beside  him.  But  they  had  hardly  gone  twenty 
yards  when  a  tremendous  noise  behind  her  made  Graciosa 
look  back,  and  she  saw  the  palace  of  crystal  fly  into  a  million 
splinters,  like  the  spray  of  a  fountain,  and  vanish. 

"O  Percinet!"  she  cried,  "what  has  happened?  The 
palace  is  gone !  " 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "my  palace  is  a  thing  of  the  past; 
you  will  see  it  again,  but  not  until  after  you  have  been 
buried." 

"  Now  you  are  angry  with  me,"  said  Graciosa  in  her  most 
coaxing  voice,  "  though  after  all  I  am  more  to  be  pitied  than 
you  are." 

When  they  drew  near  the  palace  the  Prince  made  the  sledge 
and  themselves  invisible,  so  the  Princess  got  in  unobserved, 
and  ran  up  to  the  great  hall  where  the  King  was  sitting  all  by 
himself.  At  first  he  was  very  much  startled  by  Graciosa's 
sudden  appearance,  but  she  told  him  how  the  Queen  had  left 
her  out  in  the  forest,  and  how  she  had  caused  a  log  of  wood 
to  be  buried.  The  King,  who  did  not  know  what  to  think, 
sent  quickly  and  had  it  dug  up,  and  sure  enough  it  was  as 
the  Princess  had  said.  Then  he  caressed  Graciosa,  and  made 
her  sit  down  to  supper  with  him,  and  they  were  as  happy 
as  possible.  But  some  one  had  by  this  time  told  the  wicked 
Queen  that  Graciosa  had  come  back,  and  was  at  supper  with 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  King,  and  in  she  flew  in  a  terrible  fury.  The  poor  old 
King  quite  trembled  before  her,  and  when  she  declared  that 
Graciosa  was  not  the  Princess  at  all,  but  a  wicked  impostor, 
and  that  if  the  King  did  not  give  her  up  at  once  she  would 
go  back  to  her  own  castle  and  never  see  him  again,  he  had 
not  a  word  to  say,  and  really  seemed  to  believe  that  it  was 
not  Graciosa  after  all.  So  the  Queen  in  great  triumph  sent 
for  her  waiting  women,  who  dragged  the  unhappy  Princess 
away  and  shut  her  up  in  a  garret;  they  took  away  all  her 
jewels  and  her  pretty  dress,  and  gave  her  a  rough  cotton 
frock,  wooden  shoes,  and  a  little  cloth  cap.  There  was  some 
straw  in  a  corner,  which  was  all  she  had  for  a  bed,  and 
they  gave  her  a  very  little  bit  of  black  bread  to  eat.  In 
this  miserable  plight  Graciosa  did  indeed  regret  the  fairy 
palace,  and  she  would  have  called  Percinet  to  her  aid,  only 
she  felt  sure  he  was  still  vexed  with  her  for  leaving  him, 
and  thought  that  she  could  not  expect  him  to  come. 

Meanwhile  the  Queen  had  sent  for  an  old  fairy,  as  malicious 
as  herself,  and  said  to  her: 

"  You  must  find  me  some  task  for  this  fine  Princess  which 
she  cannot  possibly  do,  for  I  mean  to  punish  her,  and  if  she 
does  not  do  what  I  order,  she  will  not  be  able  to  say  that 
I  am  unjust."  So  the  old  fairy  said  she  would  think  it 
over,  and  come  again  the  next  day.  When  she  returned 
she  brought  with  her  a  skein  of  thread,  three  times  as  big 
as  herself;  it  was  so  fine  that  a  breath  of  air  would  break 
it,  and  so  tangled  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  the  beginning 
or  the  end  of  it. 

The  Queen  sent  for  Graciosa,  and  said  to  her: 

"  Do  you  see  this  skein  ?  Set  your  clumsy  fingers  to  work 
upon  it,  for  I  must  have  it  disentangled  by  sunset,  and  if 
you  break  a  single  thread  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you."  So 
saying  she  left  her,  locking  the  door  behind  her  with  three 
keys. 

The  Princess  stood  dismayed  at  the  sight  of  the  terrible 
skein.  If  she  did  but  turn  it  over  to  see  where  to  begin, 
she  broke  a  thousand  threads,  and  not  one  could  she  disen- 

[191] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

tangle.     At  last  she  threw  it  into  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
crying: 

"  O  Percinet !  this  fatal  skein  will  be  the  death  of  me 
if  you  will  not  forgive  me  and  help  me  once  more." 

And  immediately  in  came  Percinet  as  easily  as  if  he  had 
all  the  keys  in  his  own  possession. 

"  Here  I  am,  Princess,  as  much  as  ever  at  your  service," 
said  he,  "  though  really  you  are  not  very  kind  to  me." 

Then  he  just  stroked  the  skein  with  his  wand,  and  all  the 
broken  threads  joined  themselves  together,  and  the  whole 
skein  wound  itself  smoothly  off  in  the  most  surprising  man 
ner,  and  the  Prince,  turning  to  Graciosa,  asked  if  there  was 
nothing  else  that  she  wished  him  to  do  for  her,  and  if  the 
time  would  never  come  when  she  would  wish  for  him  for 
his  own  sake. 

"  Don't  be  vexed  with  me,  Percinet,"  she  said.  "  I  am 
unhappy  enough  without  that." 

"  But  why  should  you  be  unhappy,  my  Princess  ?  "  cried 
he.  "  Only  come  with  me  and  we  shall  be  as  happy  together 
as  the  day  is  long." 

"  But  suppose  you  get  tired  of  me  ?  "  said  Graciosa. 

The  Prince  was  so  grieved  at  this  want  of  confidence  that 
he  left  her  without  another  word. 

The  wicked  Queen  was  in  such  a  hurry  to  punish  Graciosa 
that  she  thought  the  sun  would  never  set;  and  indeed  it  was 
before  the  appointed  time  that  she  came  with  her  four  fairies, 
and  as  she  fitted  the  three  keys  into  the  locks  she  said: 

"  I'll  venture  to  say  that  the  idle  minx  has  not  done  any 
thing  at  all — she  prefers  to  sit  with  her  hands  before  her 
to  keep  them  white." 

But  as  soon  as  she  entered,  Graciosa  presented  her  with  the 
ball  of  thread  in  perfect  order,  so  that  she  had  no  fault  to 
find,  and  could  only  pretend  to  discover  that  it  was  soiled, 
for  which  imaginary  fault  she  gave  Graciosa  a  blow  on  each 
cheek,  that  made  her  white-and-pink  skin  turn  green  and 
yellow.  And  then  she  sent  her  back  to  be  locked  into  the 
garret  once  more. 

[192] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Then  the  Queen  sent  for  the  fairy  again  and  scolded  her 
furiously.  "  Don't  make  such  a  mistake  again ;  find  me  some 
thing  that  it  will  be  quite  impossible  for  her  to  do,"  she  said. 

So  the  next  day  the  fairy  appeared  with  a  huge  barrel  full 
of  the  feathers  of  all  sorts  of  birds.  There  were  feathers  from 
nightingales,  canaries,  goldfinches,  linnets,  tomtits,  parrots, 
owls,  sparrows,  doves,  ostriches,  bustards,  peacocks,  larks, 
partridges,  and  every  sort  that  you  can  think  of.  These 
feathers  were  all  mixed  up  in  such  confusion  that  the  birds 
themselves  could  not  have  chosen  out  their  own.  "  Here,"  said 
the  fairy,  "  is  a  little  task  which  it  will  take  all  your  prisoner's 
skill  and  patience  to  accomplish.  Tell  her  to  pick  out  and  lay 
in  a  separate  heap  the  feathers  of  each  bird.  She  would  need 
to  be  an  enchanter  to  do  it." 

The  Queen  was  more  than  delighted  at  the  thought  of  the 
despair  this  task  would  cause  the  Princess.  She  sent  for 
her,  and  with  the  same  threats  as  before  locked  her  up  with 
the  three  keys,  ordering  that  all  the  feathers  should  be  sorted 
by  sunset.  Graciosa  set  to  work  at  once,  but  before  she  had 
taken  out  a  dozen  feathers  she  found  that  it  was  perfectly 
impossible  to  know  one  from  another. 

"  Ah,  well,"  she  sighed,  "  the  Queen  wishes  to  kill  me, 
and  if  I  must  die  I  must.  I  cannot  ask  Percinet  to  help 
me  again,  for  if  he  really  loved  me  he  would  not  wait  till 
I  called  him,  he  would  come  without  that." 

"  I  am  here,  my  Graciosa,"  cried  Percinet,  springing  out 
of  the  barrel,  where  he  had  been  hiding.  "  How  can  you  still 
doubt  that  I  love  you  with  all  my  heart  ?  " 

Then  he  gave  three  strokes  of  his  wand  upon  the  barrel, 
and  all  the  feathers  flew  out  in  a  cloud  and  settled  down 
in  neat  little  separate  heaps  all  round  the  room. 

"  What  should  I  do  without  you,  Percinet  ?  "  said  Graciosa 
gratefully.  But  still  she  could  not  quite  make  up  her  mind 
to  go  with  him  and  leave  her  father's  kingdom  forever;  so 
she  begged  him  to  give  her  more  time  to  think  of  it,  and 
he  had  to  go  away  disappointed  once  more. 

When  the  wicked  Queen  came  at  sunset  she  was  amazed 

[193] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

and  infuriated  to  find  the  task  done.  However,  she  com 
plained  that  the  heaps  of  feathers  were  badly  arranged,  and 
for  that  the  Princess  was  beaten  and  sent  back  to  her  garret. 
Then  the  Queen  sent  for  the  fairy  once  more,  and  scolded  her 
until  she  was  fairly  terrified,  and  promised  to  go  home  and 
think  of  another  task  for  Graciosa,  worse  than  either  of  the 
others. 

At  the  end  of  three  days  she  came  again,  bringing  with 
her  a  box. 

"  Tell  your  slave,"  said  she,  "  to  carry  this  wherever  you 
please,  but  on  no  account  to  open  it.  She  will  not  be  able 
to  help  doing  so,  and  then  you  will  be  quite  satisfied  with 
the  result."  So  the  Queen  came  to  Graciosa  and  said: 

"  Carry  this  box  to  my  castle,  and  place  it  upon  the  table 
in  my  own  room.  But  I  forbid  you  on  pain  of  death  to  look 
at  what  it  contains." 

Graciosa  set  out,  wearing  her  little  cap  and  wooden  shoes 
and  the  old  cotton  frock,  but  even  in  this  disguise  she  was 
so  beautiful  that  all  the  passers-by  wondered  who  she  could 
be.  She  had  not  gone  far  before  the  heat  of  the  sun  and 
the  weight  of  the  box  tired  her  so  much  that  she  sat  down 
to  rest  in  the  shade  of  a  little  wood  which  lay  on  one  side 
of  a  green  meadow.  She  was  carefully  holding  the  box 
upon  her  lap  when  she  suddenly  felt  the  greatest  desire  to 
open  it. 

"  What  could  possibly  happen  if  I  did  ?  "  she  said  to  her 
self.  "  I  should  not  take  anything  out.  I  should  only  just 
see  what  was  there." 

And  without  further  hesitation  she  lifted  the  cover. 

Instantly  out  came  swarms  of  little  men  and  women,  no 
taller  than  her  finger,  and  scattered  themselves  all  over  the 
meadow,  singing  and  dancing,  and  playing  the  merriest 
games,  so  that  at  first  Graciosa  was  delighted  and  watched 
them  with  much  amusement.  But  presently,  when  she  was 
rested  and  wished  to  go  on  her  way,  she  found  that,  do 
what  she  would,  she  could  not  get  them  back  into  their  box. 
If  she  chased  them  in  the  meadow  they  fled  into  the  wood, 

[194] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  if  she  pursued  them  into  the  wood  they  dodged  around 
trees  and  behind  sprigs  of  moss,  and  with  peals  of  elfin 
laughter  scampered  back  again  into  the  meadow. 

At  last,  weary  and  terrified,  she  sat  down  and  cried. 

"  It  is  my  own  fault,"  she  said  sadly.  "  Percinet,  if  you 
can  still  care  for  such  an  imprudent  Princess,  do  come  and 
help  me  once  more." 

Immediately  Percinet  stood  before  her. 

"Ah,  Princess!"  he  said,  "but  for  the  wicked  Queen  I 
fear  you  would  never  think  of  me  at  all." 

"  Indeed  I  should,"  said  Graciosa;  "  I  am  not  so  ungrate 
ful  as  you  think.  Only  wait  a  little  and  I  believe  I  shall 
love  you  quite  dearly." 

Percinet  was  pleased  at  this,  and  with  one  stroke  of  his 
wand  compelled  all  the  willful  little  people  to  come  back  to 
their  places  in  the  box,  and  then  rendering  the  Princess 
invisible  he  took  her  with  him  in  his  chariot  to  the  castle. 

When  the  Princess  presented  herself  at  the  door,  and  said 
that  the  Queen  had  ordered  her  to  place  the  box  in  her  own 
room,  the  governor  laughed  heartily  at  the  idea. 

"  No,  no,  my  little  shepherdess,"  said  he,  "  that  is  not  the 
place  for  you.  No  wooden  shoes  have  ever  been  over  that 
floor  yet." 

Then  Graciosa  begged  him  to  give  her  a  written  message 
telling  the  Queen  that  he  had  refused  to  admit  her.  This  he 
did,  and  she  went  back  to  Percinet,  who  was  waiting  for 
her,  and  they  set  out  together  for  the  palace.  You  may 
imagine  that  they  did  not  go  the  shortest  way,  but  the  Prin 
cess  did  not  find  it  too  long,  and  before  they  parted  she 
had  promised  that  if  the  Queen  was  still  cruel  to  her,  and 
tried  again  to  play  her  anv  spiteful  trick,  she  would  leave 
her  and  come  to  Percinet  forever. 

When  the  Queen  saw  her  returning  she  fell  upon  the  fairy, 
whom  she  had  kept  with  her,  and  pulled  her  hair,  and 
scratched  her  face,  and  would  really  have  killed  her  if  a 
fairy  could  be  killed.  And  when  the  Princess  presented  the 
letter  and  the  box  she  threw  them  both  upon  the  fire  without 

[195] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

opening-  them,  and  looked  very  much  as  if  she  would  like 
to  throw  the  Princess  after  them.  However,  what  she  really 
did  do  was  to  have  a  great  hole  as  deep  as  a  well  dug  in 
her  garden,  and  the  top  of  it  covered  with  a  flat  stone. 
Then  she  went  and  walked  near  it,  and  said  to  Graciosa 
and  all  her  ladies  who  were  with  her: 

"  I  am  told  that  a  great  treasure  lies  under  that  stone : 
let  us  see  if  we  can  lift  it." 

So  they  all  began  to  push  and  pull  at  it,  and  Graciosa 
among  the  others,  which  was  just  what  the  Queen  wanted; 
for  as  soon  as  the  stone  was  lifted  high  enough,  she  gave 
the  Princess  a  push  which  sent  her  down  to  the  bottom  of 
the  well,  and  then  the  stone  was  let  fall  again,  and  there 
she  was  a  prisoner.  Graciosa  felt  that  now  indeed  she  was 
hopelessly  lost;  surely  not  even  Percinet  could  find  her  in 
the  heart  of  the  earth. 

"  This  is  like  being  buried  alive,"  she  said  with  a  shudder. 
"  O  Percinet !  if  you  only  knew  how  I  am  suffering  for 
my  want  of  trust  in  you !  But  how  could  I  be  sure  that 
you  would  not  be  like  other  men  and  tire  of  me  from  the 
moment  you  were  sure  I  loved  you  ?  " 

As  she  spoke  she  suddenly  saw  a  little  door  open,  and 
the  sunshine  blazed  into  the  dismal  well.  Graciosa  did  not 
hesitate  an  instant,  but  passed  through  into  a  charming  gar 
den.  Flowers  and  fruit  grew  on  every  side,  fountains 
plashed,  and  birds  sang  in  the  branches  overhead,  and  when 
she  reached  a  great  avenue  of  trees  and  looked  up  to  see 
where  it  would  lead  her,  she  found  herself  close  to  the 
palace  of  crystal.  Yes!  there  was  no  mistaking  it,  and  the 
Queen  and  Percinet  were  coming  to  meet  her. 

"  Ah,  Princess !  "  said  the  Queen,  "  don't  keep  this  poor 
Percinet  in  suspense  any  longer.  You  little  guess  the  anxiety 
he  has  suffered  while  you  were  in  the  power  of  that  miserable 
Grumbly." 

The  Princess  kissed  her  gratefully,  and  promised  to  do  as 
she  wished  in  everything,  and  holding  out  her  hand  to  Per 
cinet,  with  a  smile,  she  said : 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Do  you  remember  telling  me  that  I  should  not  see  your 
palace  again  until  I  had  been  buried?  I  wonder  if  you 
guessed  that  when  that  happened,  I  should  tell  you  that  I 
love  you  with  all  my  heart,  and  will  marry  you  whenever 
you  like?" 

Prince  Percinet  joyfully  took  the  hand  that  was  given  him, 
and,  for  fear  the  Princess  should  change  her  mind,  the 
wedding  was  held  at  once  with  the  greatest  splendor,  and 
Graciosa  and  Percinet  lived  happily  ever  after. 


Drakj    the   Fairy 

/N  the  last  century  there  lived  in  the  little  town  of  Gaillac, 
in  Languedoc,  a  young  merchant,  who,  having  arrived 
at  an  age  when  he  wished  to  settle  down  in  life,  sought 
a  wife.  Providing  she  was  sweet-tempered,  witty,  rich,  pretty, 
and  of  good  family,  he  was  not  particular  about  the  rest;  for 
Michael  knew  that  he  must  be  moderate  in  his  desires.  Un 
happily,  he  could  not  see  in  Gaillac  one  who  appeared  worthy 
of  his  choice.  All  the  young  girls  had  some  known  fault,  not 
to  mention  those  which  were  not  known.  At  length  he  was 
told  of  a  young  lady  of  Lavaur,  endowed  with  innumerable 
good  qualities  and  a  dowry  of  twenty  thousand  crowns.  This 
sum  was  exactly  that  required  by  Michael  to  establish  himself 
in  business;  so  he  instantly  fell  in  love  with  the  young  lady  of 
Lavaur.  He  obtained  an  introduction  to  the  family,  who  liked 
his  appearance,  and  gave  him  a  good  reception.  But  the 
young  heiress  had  many  suitors,  from  whom  she  hesitated  to 
make  a  definite  choice.  After  several  discussions  it  was  de 
cided  by  her  parents  that  the  contending  lovers  should  be 
brought  together  at  a  ball,  and  after  having  compared  them  a 
choice  should  be  made. 

On  the  appointed  day  Michael  set  out  for  Lavaur.  His 
portmanteau  was  packed  with  his  finest  clothes :  an  apple-green 
coat,  a  lavender  vest,  breeches  of  black  velvet,  silk  stockings 

[197] 


THE  FAIRY  RING 

with  silver  trees,  buckled  shoes,  powder  box,  and  a  satin  rib 
bon  for  his  queue.  His  horse  was  harnessed  with  gay  trap 
pings.  Furthermore,  the  prudent  traveler,  not  having  a  pistol 
to  put  in  his  holsters,  had  slipped  in  a  little  bottle  of  wine  and 
several  slices  of  almond  cake,  in  order  to  have  something  at 
hand  to  keep  his  courage  up.  For  in  reality  now  that  the 
day  had  come  he  was  in  a  very  anxious  state,  and  when  he 
saw  in  the  distance  the  church  of  Lavaur  he  felt  quite  taken 
aback.  He  slackened  the  pace  of  his  horse,  then  dismounted, 
and  in  order  to  reflect  upon  what  he  should  do  at  the  ball 
he  entered  a  little  wood  and  sat  down  on  the  turf.  He  drew 
from  his  holsters,  to  keep  him  company,  the  almond  cake  and 
the  bottle;  the  latter  he  placed  between  his  knees,  so  that  with 
out  thinking  of  it  he  varied  his  reflections  by  sips  of  wine 
and  mouthfuls  of  cake.  These  distractions  somewhat  enliv 
ened  him  and  gave  him  confidence,  so  much  so  that  he  began 
to  discover  in  himself  a  number  of  virtues  and  excellences, 
which  could  not  fail  to  insure  him  the  victory. 

The  sun  having  disappeared  from  the  horizon  he  was  about 
to  pursue  his  journey,  when  he  heard  a  sound  behind  him 
among  the  leaves,  as  of  a  multitude  of  little  footsteps  tramp 
ling  the  grass  in  tune  to  the  music  of  a  flute  and  cymbals. 
Astonished,  he  turned  around,  and  by  the  light  of  the  first 
stars,  he  perceived  a  troop  of  fairies,  who  were  running  headed 
by  the  King,  Tambourinet.  In  their  rear,  turning  over  and 
over  like  a  wheel,  was  the  buffoon  of  the  little  people — Drak, 
the  fairy. 

The  fairies  surrounded  the  traveler,  and  gave  him  a  thou 
sand  welcomes  and  good  wishes.  Michael,  who  had  drunk 
too  freely  not  to  be  brave,  welcomed  them  as  old  acquain 
tances,  and  seeing  their  little  eyes  fixed  upon  the  cake  he 
began  to  crumble  and  throw  it  to  them  as  one  would  to  the 
birds.  In  spite  of  their  numbers,  each  one  had  his  crumb 
with  the  exception  of  Drak,  who  arrived  when  everyone  had 
finished.  Tambourinet  next  asked  what  was  in  the  bottle, 
and  passed  it  from  hand  to  hand  till  it  reached  the  buffoon, 
who,  finding  it  empty,  threw  it  away. 

[198]    ' 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Michael  burst  out  laughing. 

"  That  is  justice,  my  little  man,"  said  he  to  the  fairy.  "  For 
those  who  arrive  late,  there  remains  nothing  but  regret." 

"  I  will  make  you  remember  what  you  have  just  said," 
cried  Drak  in  anger. 

"  And  how?  "  asked  the  traveler  ironically.  "  Do  you  think, 
now,  you  are  big  enough  to  revenge  yourself?  " 

Drak  disappeared  without  answering;  and  Michael,  after 
taking  leave  of  Tambourinet,  mounted  his  horse  again. 

He  had  not  gone  a  hundred  paces,  when  the  saddle  turned 
and  threw  him  roughly  to  the  ground.  He  arose  a  little 
stunned,  rebuckled  the  straps,  and  mounted  his  horse  again. 
A  little  farther  on,  as  he  was  going  over  a  bridge,  the  right 
stirrup  bent  slightly,  and  he  found  himself  thrown  in  the 
middle  of  the  rivulet.  He  got  out  again  in  a  very  bad  humor, 
and  fell  the  third  time  over  the  pebbles  in  the  road,  hurting 
himself  so  much  that  he  could  hardly  proceed.  He  began  to 
think  if  he  persisted  in  riding  in  the  saddle  he  would  be 
unable  to  present  himself  at  all  to  the  family  of  the  young 
lady,  so  he  decided  to  ride  his  horse  barebacked,  and  take  the 
saddle  upon  his  shoulder.  In  this  manner  he  made  his  entry 
into  Lavaur  amid  the  loud  laughter  of  the  people  who  were 
sitting  at  their  doors. 

"Laugh!  laugh!  you  great  stupids,"  murmured  Michael; 
"  is  it  very  marvelous  that  a  man  should  carry  his  saddle  when 
it  will  not  carry  him  ?  " 

At  length  he  reached  the  inn,  where  he  alighted,  and  asked 
for  a  room  in  which  to  change  his  traveling  clothes.  Having 
obtained  a  chamber,  he  proceeded  with  much  care  to  open  his 
portmanteau  and  lay  out  carefully  on  the  bed  the  articles  for 
his  toilet. 

His  first  consideration  was  whether  he  should  powder  his 
hair  white  or  yellow.  Having  decided  it  should  be  white,  he 
seized  the  swans-down  powder  puff,  and  commenced  the  opera 
tion  on  the  right  side.  But  at  the  moment  when  he  had  fin 
ished  that  side  he  saw  that  an  invisible  hand  had  powdered 
the  other  side  yellow,  so  that  his  head  had  the  appearance  of 

[•99] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

a  half-peeled  lemon.  Michael,  stupefied,  hastened  to  mix  the 
powder  with  the  comb,  and  finding  himself  too  pressed  for 
time  to  seek  to  think  out  the  reason  of  the  mischance  (he  was 
always  a  slow  thinker)  stretched  out  his  hand  toward  the  reel 
on  which  the  satin  for  his  queue  was  wound.  The  reel  escaped 
from  his  fingers  and  fell  to  the  ground. 

Michael  went  to  pick  it  up,  but  it  seemed  to  roll  before  him. 
Twenty  times  he  was  about  to  seize  it,  and  twenty  times  his 
impatient  hands  missed  it.  One  would  have  said  he  looked 
like  a  kitten  playing  with  a  reel.  At  length,  seeing  that  time 
was  going,  he  lost  patience  and  resigned  himself  to  wear  his 
old  ribbon. 

He  now  hastened  to  put  on  his  morocco  shoes.  He  buckled 
the  right,  then  having  finished  the  left,  he  stooped  to  admire 
them,  but  as  he  did  so  the  right  buckle  fell  to  the  ground.  He 
replaced  it,  but  no  sooner  had  he  done  so  than  the  left  fol 
lowed  suit.  He  had  hardly  put  that  right  before  the  other 
one  claimed  his  attention  again  in  the  same  manner  as  before. 
He  proceeded  thus  for  some  time,  without  being  able  to  get 
both  buckles  fastened  together. 

Furious,  he  finished  by  putting  on  his  traveling  boots,  and 
was  about  to  take  his  velvet  breeches,  when,  immediately 
he  approached  the  bed,  lo!  the  breeches  began  of  their  own 
accord  to  walk  about  the  room. 

Michael,  petrified,  stood  mute,  with  his  arm  extended,  con 
templating  with  a  frightened  air  this  incongruous  dance.  But 
you  may  guess  how  he  looked  when  he  saw  the  vest,  coat, 
and  hat  join  the  breeches  at  their  respective  places,  and  form 
a  sort  of  counterfeit  of  himself,  which  commenced  to  walk 
about  and  parody  his  attitudes. 

Pale  with  fear  he  drew  back  to  the  window ;  but  at  this  mo 
ment  the  Michaelesque  figure  turned  toward  him,  and  he  saw 
under  the  cocked  hat  the  grimacing  face  of  Drak,  the  fairy. 

Michael  uttered  a  cry. 

"  It  is  you,  you  villain,  is  it?  I'll  make  you  repent  of  your 
insolence  if  you  don't  instantly  give  me  back  my  clothes." 

So  saying,  he  rushed  to  take  them;  but  the  fairy,  turning 

[200] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

sharply  around,  ran  to  the  other  side  of  the  room.  Michael  was 
beside  himself  with  anger  and  impatience,  and  rushed  again 
toward  the  fairy,  who  this  time  passed  between  his  legs  and 
rushed  out  on  to  the  staircase.  Michael  pursued  him  angrily 
up  four  flights  of  stairs  till  they  arrived  at  the  garret,  where 
the  fairy  dodged  him  round  and  round,  and  then  skipped  out 
of  the  window.  Michael,  exasperated,  took  the  same  route. 
The  malicious  fairy  led  him  from  roof  to  roof,  dragging  the 
velvet  breeches,  the  vest,  and  coat  in  all  the  gutters,  to 
Michael's  despair.  At  length,  after  a  peregrination  of  an  hour 
or  two  across  this  Pyrenees  of  the  cats  and  swallows,  Drak 
gained  a  high  chimney  at  the  foot  of  which  his  pursuer  was 
forced  to  stop. 

Drak,  leaning  over  toward  Michael,  who  was  out  of  breath 
and  discouraged,  said: 

"  You  see,  my  good  friend,  you  have  forced  me  to   spoil 
your  ball  dress;  but,  happily,  I  see  underneath  me  the  cop 
per  of  a  laundress,  where  everything  can  be  put  right  for  you." 
With  these  words  Drak  shook  the  velvet  breeches  over  the 
chimney  pot. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  rascal  ?  "  cried  Michael. 
"  I  am  sending  your  dress  to  the  wash!  "  said  the  fairy. 
And  so  saying,  the  vest,  coat,  and  hat  followed  the  breeches 
into  the  smoking  gulf. 

The  young  gallant  sat  down  upon  the  roof  with  a  cry  of 
despair;  but  rising  immediately,  said  with  resolution:   " 
"  Well,  I'll  go  to  the  ball  in  my  traveling  dress." 
"  Hark!  "  interrupted  the  fairy. 

The  sound  of  a  bell  rang  out  from  a  neighboring  steeple. 
Midnight  struck!  Michael  counted  the  twelve  strokes,  and 
could  not  restrain  a  cry.  It  was  the  hour  designated  by  the 
parents  when  they  would  proclaim  to  the  suitors  who  had 
presented  themselves  at  the  ball  their  daughter's  choice  for  a 
husband.  He  wrung  his  hands  in  despair. 

"  Unhappy  man  that  I  am!  "  he  cried.  "  When  I  arrive  all 
will  be  over;  she  and  her  parents  will  laugh  at  me." 

"  And  that  would  be  justice,  my  big  man,  "  replied  Drak, 

[201] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

with  a  pointed  sneer.  "  For  you  have  said  yourself,  '  For 
those  who  arrive  late,  there  remains  nothing  but  regret.'  This 
will  serve  you,  I  hope,  as  a  lesson,  and  prevent  you  another 
time  from  laughing  at  the  feeble;  for  from  henceforth  you 
will  know  that  the  smallest  are  big  enough  to  avenge  them 
selves." 


Drakesbill  and  His   Friends 

JTX  RAKESBILL  was  very  little,  and  that  is  why  some 
I  i  people  called  him  Bill  Drake;  but,  tiny  as  he  was, 
*  ^  he  knew  a  thing  or  two.  He  was  a  great  worker 
and  laid  up  every  cent  that  he  earned;  and,  long  before  he 
was  half  as  tall  as  a  gray  goose  he  had  saved  a  hundred  dol 
lars  in  gold.  The  King  of  the  country,  who  never  did  any 
thing  but  spend  money,  heard  that  Drakesbill  had  some  gold 
pieces,  and  he  made  haste  to  borrow  them.  How  very  kind 
and  gracious  he  was  until  he  heard  the  little  yellow  coins 
jingle  in  his  pocket!  And  how  proud  it  made  Drakesbill  feel 
to  have  it  said  that  he  had  lent  money  to  the  King! 

A  year  went  by — two  years,  three  years — and  the  King 
seemed  to  have  forgotten  him.  He  did  not  even  offer  to  pay 
Drakesbill  the  interest,  and  the  little  fellow  was  very  uneasy 
lest  he  should  lose  all  his  money.  At  last  he  made  up  his 
mind  that  he  would  go  and  see  the  King  and  tell  him  that 
he  needed  the  gold  pieces  very  much. 

So,  early  one  morning,  Drakesbill,  as  spruce  and  fresh  as 
a  young  robin,  went  down  the  highroad  toward  the  King's 
palace,  singing,  "  Quack,  quack,  quack,  when  shall  I  get  my 
money  back?  " 

He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  friend  Fox  coming  home 
from  his  rounds  among  the  farmyards. 

"  Good  morning,  my  good  neighbor,"  said  friend  Fox', 
"  where  are  you  going  so  early  in  the  day  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  the  King  to  ask  him  to  pay  me  what  he 

[202] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Oh,  take  me  with  you  !  " 

"  One  can't  have  too  many  friends,"  thought  Drakesbill. 
Then  he  said :  "  Certainly  I  will  take  you ;  but  you  walk  on  four 
legs,  and  you  will  soon  get  tired.  So  make  yourself  very 
small,  get  into  my  mouth,  creep  under  my  tongue — and  I 
will  carry  you." 

Friend  Fox  thanked  him  very  kindly,  made  himself  very 
small,  and  was  out  of  sight  like  a  letter  in  a  letterbox. 

Then  Drakesbill  was  off  again,  all  spruce  and  fresh  as  a 
spring  morning,  and  still  singing,  "  Quack,  quack,  quack,  when 
shall  I  get  my  money  back?  " 

He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  his  lady  friend  Ladder 
leaning  against  her  wall.  "  Good  morning,  ducky  darling," 
said  the  lady  friend,  "  whither  away,  so  bold  and  gay,  this 
fine,  new  day?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  the  King  to  ask  him  to  pay  me  what  he 
owes  me." 

"  Oh,  take  me  with  you !  " 

"  One  can't  have  too  many  friends,"  thought  Drakesbill. 
Then  he  said,  "  Certainly  I  will  take  you;  but  you  have  such 
long  wooden  legs  that  you  will  soon  get  tired.  So  make  your 
self  very  small,  get  into  my  mouth,  creep  under  my  tongue 

and  I  will  carry  you." 

The  Ladder  thanked  him,  made  herself  very  small,  and  went 
to  keep  company  with  friend  Fox. 

Then  Drakesbill  was  off  again,  spruce  and  fresh  as  any 
dapper  little  dandy,  and  singing,  "  Quack,  quack,  quack,  when 
shall  I  get  my  money  back?" 

He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  his  sweetheart,  laughing 
River,  wandering  quietly  in  the  sunshine. 

"  Good  morning,  my  spoonbill,"  she  said,  "  whither  do  you 
go^  so  happy  and  slow,  while  the  soft  breezes  blow?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  the  King,  you  know,  for  he  owes  me  money, 
and  I  want  him  to  pay  me  back." 

"  Oh,  take  me  with  you !  " 

"  One  can't  have  too  many  friends,"  thought  Drakesbill. 
Then  he  said:  "  Certainly  I  will  take  you;  but  you  always  sleep 

[203] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

while  you  run,  and  you  will  soon  get  tired.  So  make  your 
self  very  small,  get  into  my  mouth,  creep  under  my  tongue — 
and  I  will  carry  you." 

The  River  thanked  him  very  kindly,  and  then,  glou!  glou! 
glou!  she  went  to  take  her  place  between  friend  Fox  and 
friend  Ladder. 

And  Drakesbill  was  off  again,  spruce  and  fresh  as  a  busy 
bee,  and  singing,  "  Quack,  quack,  quack,  when  shall  I  get  my 
money  back?" 

A  little  farther  on  he  met  neighbor  Wasp-nest,  taking  his 
wasps  out  for  some  fresh  air. 

"  Good  morning,  neighbor  Bill,"  said  Wasp-nest;  "whither 
do  we  run,  so  full  of  fun,  in  the  bright  warm  sun?  " 

"  Oh,  don't  you  know  that  the  King  owes  me  money?  And 
I  am  going  down  to  see  him  and  make  him  pay  me,"  answered 
Drakesbill. 

"  Oh,  take  us  with  you !  " 

"  One  can't  have  too  many  friends,"  thought  Drakesbill. 
Then  he  said :  "  Certainly  I  will  take  you ;  but  there  are  so 
many  of  you  that  you  will  soon  get  tired.  So  make  yourself 
quite  small,  get  into  my  mouth,  creep  under  my  tongue — 
and  I  will  carry  you." 

Neighbor  Wasp-nest  thanked  him  very  kindly,  and  then 
buzz,  buzz,  buzz,  file  right!  march!  There  wasn't  much  more 
room,  but  by  getting  close  together  everybody  was  made 
quite  comfortable. 

And  then  Drakesbill  went  on  singing. 

In  the  afternoon  he  came  to  the  great  city  where  the  King 
lived;  and  as  he  marched  straight  up  High  Street,  he  sang 
as  loud  as  he  could,  "  Quack,  quack,  quack!  Oh,  when  shall 
I  get  my  money  back?  " 

When  he  came  to  the  King's  palace  he  climbed  up  the  step; 
and  then  he  stood  on  tiptoe,  and  knocked  at  the  door,  toe! 
toe!  toe! 

"  Who's  there?  "  asked  the  doorkeeper,  looking  out  through 
the  keyhole. 

"  Tis  I,  Drakesbill.     I  want  to  speak  with  the  King." 

[204] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"Speak  with  the  King?  Nonsense!  That  is  easier  said 
than  done.  The  King  is  in  the  parlor  counting  out  his 
money." 

'  That  is  just  what  I  want  to  see  him  do,"  said  Drakesbill. 
:<  Tell  him  I  am  here,  and  then  he  will  know  my  business." 

The  doorkeeper  went  into  the  parlor  to  speak  with  the 
King.  But  he  was  not  there;  he  was  in  the  kitchen,  just  sit 
ting  down  to  dinner  with  a  white  napkin  round  his  neck. 

"Good!  good!"  said  the  King.  "I  know  the  rascal. 
Fetch  him  in  and  put  him  with  the  turkeys  and  chickens." 

The  doorkeeper  went  back  to  the  door. 

"Walk  in,  sir!" 

"  Good!  "  said  Drakesbill  to  himself.  "  Now  I  can  see  how 
the  folks  eat  at  the  King's  table." 

"  This  way,  this  way!"  said  the  doorkeeper.  "Now  step 
through  that  gate.  There  you  are!" 

"  What !     In  the  poultry  yard  ?     How  ?     What  ?  " 

How  vexed  the  little  fellow  was !     And  no  wonder. 

"  Just  wait,"  he  said  at  last.  "  I  think  I'll  show  them  a 
thing  or  two.  Quack,  quack,  quack,  when  shall  I  get  my 
money  back?  " 

But  turkeys  and  chickens  are  queer  things,  as  you  know, 
and  think  themselves  a  good  deal  better  than  other  folks. 
When  they  saw  what  a  funny  little  fellow  had  come  among 
them,  and  when  they  heard  him  singing  his  queer  song, 
they  began  to  ask  one  another: 

"  Who  is  he?     Wliat  is  he  doing  here?  " 

Then  they  all  rushed  upon  him,  and  if  he  had  not  had  his 
wits  about  him  they  would  have  pecked  him  to  death  in  no 
time.  But,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  he  remembered  his 
friend  Fox,  and  he  cried  out: 

"  Fox,  friend  Fox,  from  your  hiding  place 
Come  quick,  or  sad  will  be  my  case!  " 

Then  friend  Fox,  who  was  only  waiting  for  these  words, 
leaped  out  from  his  hiding  place,  as  big  as  life  and  as  happy 
as  a  sunflower;  and  he  threw  himself  on  the  wicked  fowls, 

[205] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

and  snip,  snap!  crish,  crash!  he  tore  them  in  pieces;  and  at  the 
end  of  five  minutes  not  one  of  them  was  left  alive.  And 
Drakesbill,  spruce  and  fresh  as  ever,  began  to  sing  again, 
"  Quack,  quack,  quack,  when  shall  I  get  my  money  back?  " 

But  the  King  was  very  angry  when  the  poultry  woman  and 
the  cook  and  the  doorkeeper  all  rushed  into  the  kitchen  where 
he  was  eating  and  told  him  what  had  happened.  He  or 
dered  them  to  seize  this  naughty  little  Drakesbill  and  throw 
him  into  the  well,  and  thus  make  an  end  of  him. 

"  I  am  lost!  I  am  lost!  "  cried  Drakesbill  as  he  fell  flutter 
ing  down  into  the  deep,  dark  hole.  "  I  can  never  climb  out 
of  this  place." 

Then  he  happened  to  think  of  his  lady  friend  Ladder,  and 
he  sang: 

"  Ladder,  Ladder,  from  beneath  my  tongue 
Come  quick,  or  soon  my  song  will  be  sung!  " 

Friend  Ladder,  who  had  only  been  waiting  for  these  words, 
leaped  quickly  out,  as  tall  as  a  flag  pole  and  as  charming  as 
a  walking  stick ;  and  she  stood  with  her  feet  at  the  bottom 
of  the  well  and  her  two  arms  resting  upon  the  top;  and 
Drakesbill  climbed  nimbly  on  her  back,  and  hip!  hop!  hup! 
how  soon  he  was  up  and  singing  louder  than  ever,  "  Quack, 
quack,  quack,  when  shall  I  get  my  money  back?  " 

The  King,  who  was  still  at  the  table,  heard  him  singing,  and 
the  song  made  him  so  angry  that  he  almost  choked. 

"  Can't  anybody  make  that  fellow  hush?  "  he  cried. 

Then  he  ordered  his  men  to  build  a  great  fire,  and,  when  it 
was  hot,  to  throw  Drakesbill  into  it  and  burn  him  up  for  a 
wicked  wizard. 

But  Drakesbill  was  not  much  afraid  this  time;  he  remem 
bered  his  sweetheart  River.  Just  when  the  flames  were  the 
highest,  and  the  captain  of  the  King's  men  was  going  to  toss 
him  into  them,  he  sang  out: 

"  River,  River,  outward  flow, 
Or  into  the  fire  I  must  go!  " 

[206] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Then  friend  River,  who  had  only  been  waiting  for  these 
words,  flowed  quickly  out,  as  strong  as  a  storm  and  as  swift 
as  the  wind;  and  she  put  out  the  fire,  and  drowned  all  the 
people  that  had  kindled  it ;  and,  glou !  glou !  glou !  she  flowed 
into  the  King's  palace  and  stood  four  feet  deep  in  the  great 
hall.  And  Drakesbill,  spruce  and  fresh  as  ever,  swam  hither 
and  thither,  singing,  "  Quack,  quack,  quack,  when  shall  I  get 
my  money  back?  " 

Of  course,  after  all  this  had  happened,  the  King  was  more 
angry  than  he  had  ever  been  before;  and  when  he  saw  Drakes- 
bill  swimming  about  so  coolly,  while  he  had  to  stand  on  the 
table  to  keep  his  feet  dry,  he  could  hardly  hold  himself. 

Bring  the  fellow  here,  and  I'll  finish  him  with  the  carv 
ing  knife!  bring  him  here  quick!"  he  cried. 
^  Two  servants  rushed  out  and  seized  Drakesbill  very  rudely. 
They  dragged  him  toward  the  King,  who  was  standing  with 
drawn  carving  knife.  The  King's  brave  men  with  swords  in 
their  hands  were  all  around  him.  "  It  is  all  over  with  me 
now,"  said  Drakesbill.  "  I  don't  see  how  I  can  live  through 
this!  " 

But  just  then  he  thought  of  his  neighbor  Wasp-nest,  and  he 
cried  out: 

"  Wasp-nest,  Wasp-nest,  hither  fly, 
Or  Drakesbill  soon  will  have  to  die!  " 

Then  Wasp-nest,  who  had  been  waiting  for  these  words, 
began  to  wake  up  his  wasps,  and  things  changed  very 
quickly. 

"  Buzz,  buzz,  buzz!  Charge!  "  cried  Wasp-nest.  And  the 
wasps  rushed  out  and  threw  themselves  upon  the  King  and 
his  brave  men,  and  stung  them  so  badly  that  they  ran  and 
jumped  right  out  from  the  windows,  and  nobody  in  the  palace 
ever  saw  them  again. 

As  for  Drakesbill,  he  could  only  sit  still  and  wonder  what 
was  going  to  happen  next.  But  after  a  while  he  remembered 
his  money,  and  began  to  sing  as  before.  Then,  as  the  house 
was  very  still,  he  thought  that  he  might  as  well  look  around  a 

[207] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

little  while;  perhaps  he  would  find  his  hundred  yellow  pieces  of 
gold. 

It  was  of  no  use,  however.  He  peeped  into  all  the  corners 
and  opened  all  the  drawers.  There  was  not  a  dollar  in  the 
house.  The  King  had  spent  everything. 

By  and  by  Drakesbill  found  his  way  into  the  room  where 
the  King's  throne  stood,  and  as  he  was  very  tired  he  sat 
down  to  rest  among  the  cushions  of  velvet  and  gold. 

When  the  people  saw  the  King  and  his  brave  men  running 
away  from  the  wasps  they  felt  sure  that  they  would  never 
come  back.  So  they  crowded  into  the  palace  to  see  what  was 
the  matter.  And  the  only  person  they  found  there  was  little 
Drakesbill  sitting  by  himself  on  the  throne.  Then  they  all 
shouted: 

"  The  King  is  dead!  long  live  the  King! 
How  glad  we'll  be  to  be  ruled  by  this  thing!  " 

And  one  of  them  ran  and  fetched  the  golden  crown;  and 
they  put  it  on  Drakesbill's  head  and  hailed  him  as  King. 
And  Drakesbill,  who  had  made  up  his  mind  not  to  be  sur 
prised  at  anything,  sat  very  still  and  took  it  all  as  a  matter 
of  course. 

"  He  doesn't  look  much  like  a  king,"  whispered  a  few  idle 
fellows;  but  they  were  soon  driven  out  of  the  hall  and  made 
to  understand  that  it  was  wrong  even  to  think  such  words. 

"  He  will  be  the  best  king  we  have  ever  had,"  said  others. 
And  some  who  had  known  him  before  said:  "  A  Drakesbill  is 
better  any  day  than  a  king  who  does  nothing  but  spend  our 
money." 

And  that  is  the  way  in  which  little  Drakesbill  became  King. 
When  he  had  been  crowned,  and  the  people  had  finished 
shouting,  he  made  a  speech  from  the  throne.  "  Ladies  and 
gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  I  am  very  hungry.  Let  us  all  go  to 
supper." 


[208 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Riquet    with    the    Tuft 

X^vNCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  Queen  who  had  a  son, 
i  I  so  ugly  and  misshapen  that  it  was  doubted  for  a  long 
v-X  time  whether  his  form  was  really  human.  A  fairy, 
who  was  present  at  his  birth,  affirmed,  nevertheless,  that  he 
would  be  worthy  to  be  loved,  as  he  would  have  an  excellent 
wit;  she  added,  moreover,  that  by  virtue  of  the  gift  she  had 
bestowed  upon  him,  he  would  be  able  to  impart  equal  intelli 
gence  to  the  one  whom  he  loved  best.  All  this  was  some  con 
solation  to  the  poor  Queen,  who  was  much  distressed  at  hav 
ing  brought  so  ugly  a  little  monkey  into  the  world.  It  is  true 
that  the  child  was  no  sooner  able  to  speak  than  he  said  a 
thousand  pretty  things,  and  that  in  all  his  ways  there  was  a 
certain  air  of  intelligence,  with  which  everyone  was  charmed. 
I  had  forgotten  to  say  that  he  was  born  with  a  little  tuft 
of  hair  on  his  head,  and  so  he  came  to  be  called  Riquet  with 
the  Tuft ;  for  Riquet  was  the  family  name. 

About  seven  or  eight  years  later,  the  Queen  of  a  neighbor 
ing  kingdom  had  two  daughters.  The  elder  was  fairer  than 
the  day,  and  the  Queen  was  so  delighted  that  it  was  feared 
some  harm  might  come  to  her  from  her  great  joy.  The  same 
fairy  who  had  assisted  at  the  birth  of  little  Riquet  was  pres 
ent  upon  this  occasion,  and  in  order  to  moderate  the  joy  of 
the  Queen  she  told  her  that  this  little  Princess  would  have 
no  gifts  of  mind  at  all,  and  that  she  would  be  as  stupid  as 
she  was  beautiful.  The  Queen  was  greatly  mortified  on  hear 
ing  this,  but  shortly  after,  she  was  even  more  annoyed  when 
her  second  little  daughter  was  born  and  proved  to  be  ex 
tremely  ugly.  "  Do  not  distress  yourself,  madam,"  said  the 
fairy  to  her,  "  your  daughter  will  find  compensation,  for  she 
will  have  so  much  intelligence  that  her  lack  of  beauty  will 
scarcely  be  perceived." 

"  Heaven  send  it  may  be  so! "  replied  the  Queen;  "  but  are 
there  no  means  whereby  a  little  more  understanding  might  be 
given  to  the  elder,  who  is  so  lovely?  "  "  I  can  do  nothing  for 

[209] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

her  in  the  way  of  intelligence,  madam,"  said  the  fairy,  "  but 
everything  in  the  way  of  beauty;  as,  however,  there  is  noth 
ing  in  my  power  I  would  not  do  to  give  you  comfort,  I  will 
bestow  on  her  the  power  of  conferring  beauty  on  any  man  or 
woman  who  shall  please  her."  As  these  two  Princesses  grew 
up  their  endowments  also  became  more  perfect,  and  nothing 
was  talked  of  anywhere  but  the  beauty  of  the  elder  and  the 
intelligence  of  the  younger.  It  is  true  that  their  defects  also 
greatly  increased  with  their  years.  The  younger  became 
uglier  every  moment,  and  the  elder  more  stupid  every  day. 
She  either  made  no  answer  when  she  was  spoken  to,  or  else 
said  something  foolish.  With  this  she  was  so  clumsy  that 
she  could  not  even  place  four  pieces  of  china  on  a  mantel 
shelf  without  breaking  one  of  them,  or  drink  a  glass  of  water 
without  spilling  half  of  it  on  her  dress.  Notwithstanding  the 
attraction  of  beauty,  the  younger,  in  whatever  society  they 
might  be,  nearly  always  bore  away  the  palm  from  her  sister. 
At  first  everyone  went  up  to  the  more  beautiful  to  gaze  at 
and  admire  her;  but  they  soon  left  her  for  the  cleverer  one, 
to  listen  to  her  many  pleasant  and  amusing  sayings;  and 
people  were  astonished  to  find  that  in  less  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  the  elder  had  not  a  soul  near  her,  while  all  the 
company  had  gathered  around  the  younger.  The  elder,  though 
very  stupid,  noticed  this,  and  would  have  given,  without  re 
gret,  all  her  beauty  for  half  the  sense  of  her  sister.  Discreet 
as  she  was,  the  Queen  could  not  help  often  reproaching  her 
with  her  stupidity,  which  made  the  poor  Princess  ready  to  die 
of  grief. 

One  day,  when  she  had  gone  by  herself  into  a  wood  to  weep 
over  her  misfortune,  she  saw  approaching  her  a  little  man 
of  very  ugly  and  unpleasant  appearance,  but  magnificently 
dressed.  It  was  the  young  Prince  Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  who, 
having  fallen  in  love  with  her  from  seeing  her  portraits,  which 
were  sent  all  over  the  world,  had  left  his  father's  kingdom 
that  he  might  have  the  pleasure  of  beholding-  her  and  speak 
ing  to  her.  Enchanted  at  meeting  her  thus  alone,  he  ad 
dressed  her  with  all  the  respect  and  politeness  imaginable. 

[210] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Having  remarked,  after  paying  her  the  usual  compliments, 
that  she  was  very  melancholy,  he  said  to  her: "  I  cannot  under 
stand,  madam,  how  a  person  as  beautiful  as  you  are  can  be 
so  unhappy  as  you  appear;  for,  although  I  can  boast  of  hav 
ing  seen  an  infinite  number  of  beautiful  people,  I  can  say 
with  truth  that  I  have  never  seen  one  whose  beauty  could  be 
compared  with  yours." 

"  You  are  pleased  to  say  so,  sir,"  replied  the  Princess,  and 
there  she  stopped. 

"  Beauty,"  continued  Riquet,  "  is  so  great  an  advantage  that 
it  ought  to  take  the  place  of  every  other,  and,  possessed  of 
it,  I  see  nothing  that  can  have  power  to  afflict  one." 

"  I  would  rather,"  said  the  Princess,  "  be  as  ugly  as  you 
are  and  have  intelligence,  than  possess  the  beauty  I  do  and 
be  as  stupid  as  I  am." 

"  There  is  no  greater  proof  of  intelligence,  madam,  than  the 
belief  that  we  have  it  not ;  it  is  the  nature  of  that  gift,  that  the 
more  we  have,  the  more  we  believe  ourselves  to  be  without  it." 

"  I  do  not  know  how  that  may  be,"  said  the  Princess,  "  but 
I  know  well  enough  that  I  am  very  stupid,  and  this  is  the 
cause  of  the  grief  that  is  killing  me." 

"  If  that  is  all  that  troubles  you,  madam,  I  can  easily  put 
an  end  to  your  sorrow." 

"  And  how  would  you  do  so?  "  said  the  Princess. 

"  I  have  the  power,  madam,"  said  Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  "  to 
give  as  much  intelligence  as  it  is  possible  to  possess  to  the  per 
son  whom  I  love  best ;  as  you,  madam,  are  that  person,  it  will 
depend  entirely  upon  yourself  whether  or  not  you  become 
gifted  with  this  amount  of  intelligence — provided  that  you  are 
willing  to  marry  me." 

The  Princess  was  stricken  dumb  with  astonishment,  and  re 
plied  not  a  word. 

"  I  see,"  said  Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  "  that  this  proposal 
troubles  you,  and  I  am  not  surprised,  but  I  will  give  you  a 
full  year  to  consider  it." 

The  Princess  had  so  little  sense,  and  at  the  same  time  was 
so  anxious  to  have  a  great  deal,  that  she  thought  the  end 

[211] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

of  that  year  would  never  come;  so  she  at  once  accepted  the 
offer  that  was  made  her.  She  had  no  sooner  promised  Riquet 
with  the  Tuft  that  she  would  marry  him  that  day  twelve 
months  than  she  felt  herself  quite  another  person  from  what 
she  had  previously  been.  She  found  she  was  able  to  say 
whatever  she  pleased,  with  a  readiness  past  belief,  and  to 
say  it  in  a  clever,  but  easy  and  natural  manner.  She  imme 
diately  began  a  sprightly  and  well-sustained  conversation  with 
Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  and  was  so  brilliant  in  her  talk  that 
the  Prince  began  to  think  he  had  given  her  more  wit  than  he 
had  reserved  for  himself.  On  her  return  to  the  palace,  the 
whole  court  was  puzzled  to  account  for  a  change  so  sudden 
and  extraordinary;  for  instead  of  the  number  of  foolish  things 
which  they  had  been  accustomed  to  hear  from  her,  she  now 
made  as  many  sensible  and  exceedingly  witty  remarks.  All 
the  court  was  in  a  state  of  joy  not  to  be  described.  The 
younger  sister  alone  was  not  altogether  pleased,  for,  having 
lost  her  superiority  over  her  sister  in  the  way  of  intelligence, 
she  now  appeared  by  her  side  merely  as  a  very  unpleasing- 
looking  person. 

The  King  now  began  to  be  guided  by  his  elder  daughter's 
advice,  and  at  times  even  held  his  council  in  her  apartments. 
The  news  of  the  change  of  affairs  was  spread  abroad,  and 
all  the  young  princes  of  the  neighborin-g  kingdoms  exerted 
themselves  to  gain  her  affection,  and  nearly  all  of  them  asked 
her  hand  in  marriage.  She  found  none  of  them,  however, 
intelligent  enough  to  please  her,  and  she  listened  to  all  of 
them  without  engaging  herself  to  one. 

At  length  arrived  a  prince  so  rich  and  powerful,  so  clever 
and  so  handsome,  that  she  could  not  help  listening  willingly 
to  his  addresses.  Her  father,  having  perceived  this,  told  her 
that  he  left  her  at  perfect  liberty  to  choose  a  husband  for 
herself,  and  that  she  had  only  to  make  known  her  decision. 
As  the  more  intelligence  we  possess,  the  more  difficulty  we 
find  in  making  up  our  mind  on  such  a  matter  as  this,  she 
begged  her  father,  after  having  thanked  him,  to  allow  her 
time  to  think  about  it. 

[212] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

She  went  by  chance  to  walk  in  the  same  wood  in  which 
she  had  met  Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  in  order  to  meditate  more 
uninterruptedly  over  what  she  had  to  do.  While  she  was 
walking,  deep  in  thought,  she  heard  a  dull  sound  beneath  her 
feet,  as  of  many  persons  running  to  and  fro  and  busily  occu 
pied.  Having  listened  more  attentively  she  heard  one  say, 
"  Bring  me  that  saucepan  ";  another,  "  Give  me  that  kettle  "; 
another,  "  Put  some  wood  on  the  fire."  At  the  same  mo 
ment  the  ground  opened,  and  she  saw  beneath  her  what 
appeared  to  be  a  large  kitchen,  full  of  cooks,  scullions,  and 
all  sorts  of  servants  necessary  for  the  preparation  of  a  mag 
nificent  banquet.  There  came  forth  a  band  of  about  twenty 
to  thirty  cooks,  who  went  and  established  themselves  in  an 
avenue  of  the  wood,  at  a  very  long  table,  and  who,  each 
with  the  larding  pin  in  his  hand  and  the  tail  of  his  fur 
cap  over  his  ear,  set  to  work,  keeping  time  to  a  harmonious 
song. 

The  Princess,  astonished  at  this  sight,  asked  the  men  for 
whom  they  were  working. 

"  Madam,"  replied  the  chief  among  them,  "  for  Prince 
Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  whose  marriage  will  take  place  to 
morrow."  The  Princess,  still  more  surprised  than  she  was 
before,  and  suddenly  recollecting  that  it  was  just  a  twelve 
month  from  the  day  on  which  she  had  promised  to  marry 
Prince  Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  was  overcome  with  trouble  and 
amazement.  The  reason  of  her  not  having  remembered  her 
promise  was,  that  when  she  made  it  she  had  been  a  very 
foolish  person,  and  since  she  became  gifted  with  the  new 
mind  that  the  Prince  had  given  her,  she  had  forgotten  all 
her  follies. 

She  had  not  taken  another  thirty  steps  when  Riquet  with 
the  Tuft  presented  himself  before  her,  gaily  and  splendidly 
attired,  like  a  prince  about  to  be  married.  "  You  see, 
madam,"  said  he,  "  I  keep  my  word  punctually,  and  I  doubt 
not  that  you  have  come  hither  to  keep  yours,  and  to  make 
me,  by  the  giving  of  your  hand,  the  happiest  of  men." 

"  I  confess  to  you  frankly,"  answered  the  Princess,  "  that 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

I  have  not  yet  made  up  my  mind  on  that  matter,  and  that  I 
doubt  if  I  shall  ever  be  able  to  do  so  in  the  way  you  wish." 

"  You  astonish  me,  madam/'  said  Riquet  with  the  Tuft. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  I  do/'  said  the  Princess;  "  and  assuredly, 
had  I  to  deal  with  a  stupid  person,  with  a  man  without  in 
telligence,  I  should  feel  greatly  perplexed.  '  A  Princess  is 
bound  by  her  word/  he  would  say  to  me,  '  and  you  must 
marry  me,  as  you  have  promised  to  do  so/  But  as  the  per 
son  to  whom  I  speak  is,  of  all  men  in  the  world,  the  one  of 
greatest  sense  and  understanding,  I  am  certain  he  will  listen 
to  reason.  You  know  that,  when  I  was  no  better  than  a 
fool,  I  nevertheless  could  not  decide  to  marry  you — how 
can  you  expect,  now  that  I  have  the  mind  which  you  have 
given  me,  and  which  renders  me  much  more  difficult  to 
please  than  before,  that  I  should  take  to-day  a  resolution 
which  I  could  not  then?  If  you  seriously  thought  of  mar 
rying  me  you  did  very  wrong  to  take  away  my  stupidity,  and 
so  enable  me  to  see  more  clearly  than  I  saw  then." 

"  If  a  man  without  intelligence,"  replied  Riquet  with  the 
Tuft,  "  who  reproached  you  with  your  breach  of  promise, 
might  have  a  right,  as  you  have  just  intimated,  to  be  treated 
with  indulgence,  why  would  you,  madam,  that  I  should  re 
ceive  less  consideration  in  a  matter  which  affects  the  entire 
happiness  of  my  life?  Is  it  reasonable  that  persons  of  intel 
lect  should  be  in  a  worse  position  than  those  that  have  none? 
Can  you  assert  this — you  who  have  so  much,  and  who  so  ear 
nestly  desired  to  possess  it?  But  let  us  come  to  the  point,  if 
you  please.  Setting  aside  my  ugliness,  is  there  anything  in 
me  that  displeases  you?  Are  you  dissatisfied  with  my  birth, 
my  understanding,  my  temper,  or  my  manners  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  replied  the  Princess;  "  I  admire  in  you 
everything  you  have  mentioned." 

"  If  that  is  so,"  rejoined  Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  "  I  shall 
soon  be  happy,  as  you  have  it  in  your  power  to  make  me  the 
most  pleasing-looking  of  men." 

"  How  can  that  be  done?  "  asked  the  Princess. 

"  It  can  be  done,"  said  Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  "  if  you  love 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

me  sufficiently  to  wish  that  it  should  be.  And  in  order, 
madam,  that  you  should  have  no  doubt  about  it,  know  that 
the  same  fairy  who,  on  the  day  I  was  born,  endowed  me  with 
the  power  to  give  intelligence  to  the  person  I  chose,  gave 
you  also  the  power  to  render  handsome  the  man  you  should 
love,  and  on  whom  you  should  wish  to  bestow  this  favor." 

"  If  such  be  the  fact,"  said  the  Princess,  "  I  wish,  with  all 
my  heart,  that  you  should  become  the  handsomest  and  most 
lovable  Prince  in  the  world,  and  I  bestow  the  gift  on  you  to 
the  fullest  extent  in  my  power." 

The  Princess  had  no  sooner  pronounced  these  words  than 
Riquet  with  the  Tuft  appeared  to  her  eyes,  of  all  men  in  the 
world,  the  handsomest,  the  best-made,  and  most  attractive 
she  had  ever  seen.  There  are  some  who  assert  that  it  was 
not  the  spell  of  the  fairy,  but  love  alone  that  caused  this  met 
amorphosis.  They  say  that  the  Princess,  having  reflected  on 
the  preseverance  of  her  lover,  on  his  prudence,  and  on  all  the 
good  qualities  of  his  heart  and  mind,  no  longer  saw  the  de 
formity  of  his  body,  or  the  ugliness  of  his  features;  that  his 
hump  appeared  to  her  nothing  more  than  a  good-natured 
shrug  of  his  shoulders,  and  that  instead  of  noticing,  as  she 
had  done,  how  badly  he  limped,  she  saw  in  him  only  a  cer 
tain  lounging  air,  which  charmed  her.  They  say  also  that 
his  eyes,  which  squinted,  only  seemed  to  her  the  more  brilliant 
for  this;  and  that  the  crookedness  of  his  glance  was  to  her 
merely  expressive  of  his  great  love;  and,  finally,  that  his 
great  red  nose  had  in  it,  to  her  mind,  something  martial  and 
heroic.  However  this  may  be,  the  Princess  promised  on  the 
spot  to  marry  him,  provided  he  obtained  the  consent  of  the 
King,  her  father.  The  King,  having  learned  that  his  daughter 
entertained  a  great  regard  for  Riquet  with  the  Tuft,  whom  he 
knew  also  to  be  a  very  clever  and  wise  Prince,  received  him 
with  pleasure  as  his  son-in-law.  The  wedding  took  place  the 
next  morning,  as  Riquet  with  the  Tuft  had  foreseen,  and  ac 
cording  to  the  orders  which  he  had  given  a  long  time  before. 

No  beauty,  no  talent,  has  power  above 
Some  indefinite  charm  discern'd  only  by  love. 


THE   FAIRT  RING 
The    White    Cat 

rHERE  was  once  a  king  who  had  three  sons,  all  hand 
some,  brave,  and  noble  of  heart.  Nevertheless,  some 
wicked  courtiers  made  their  father  believe  they  were 
eager  to  wear  his  crown,  which,  though  he  was  old,  he  had 
no  mind  to  resign.  He  therefore  invented  a  plan  to  get  them 
out  of  the  kingdom  and  prevent  their  carrying  out  any  un- 
dutiful  projects.  Sending  for  them  to  a  private  audience,  he 
conversed  with  them  kindly,  and  said :  "  You  must  be  sensible, 
my  dear  children,  that  my  great  age  prevents  me  from  attend 
ing  as  closely  as  I  have  hitherto  done  to  state  affairs.  I  fear 
this  may  be  injurious  to  my  subjects ;  I  therefore  desire  to 
place  my  crown  on  the  head  of  one  of  you ;  but  it  is  no  more 
than  just  that,  in  return  for  such  a  present,  you  should  procure 
me  some  amusement  in  my  retirement,  before  I  leave  the  cap 
ital  forever.  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  a  little  dog,  hand 
some,  faithful,  and  engaging,  would  be  the  very  thing  to  make 
me  happy;  so  that,  without  bestowing  a  preference  on  either 
of  you,  I  declare  that  he  who  brings  me  the  most  perfect  little 
dog  shall  be  my  successor." 

The  Princes  were  much  surprised  at  the  fancy  of  their  father 
to  have  a  little  dog,  yet  they  accepted  the  proposition  with 
pleasure ;  and  accordingly,  after  taking  leave  of  the  King,  who 
presented  them  with  abundance  of  money  and  jewels,  and 
appointed  that  day  twelvemonth  for  their  return,  they  set  off 
on  their  travels. 

Before  separating,  however,  they  took  some  refreshment 
together  in  an  old  palace  about  three  miles  out  of  town,  where 
they  mutually  agreed  to  meet  in  the  same  place  on  that  day 
twelvemonth,  and  go  all  together  with  their  presents  to  court. 
They  also  agreed  to  change  their  names  and  travel  incognito. 
Each  took  a  different  road ;  but  it  is  intended  to  relate  the 
adventures  of  only  the  youngest,  who  was  the  most  beautiful, 
amiable,  and  accomplished  prince  in  the  world.  As  he  trav 
eled  from  town  to  town,  he  bought  all  the  handsome  dogs 

[216] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

that  fell  in  his  way ;  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  one  that  was  hand 
somer  than  those  he  had,  he  made  a  present  of  the  rest,  for 
twenty  servants  would  scarcely  have  been  sufficient  to  take 
care  of  all  the  dogs  he  was  continually  purchasing.  At  length, 
wandering  he  knew  not  whither,  he  found  himself  in  a  forest ; 
night  suddenly  came  on,  and  with  it  a  violent  storm  of  thun 
der,  lightning,  and  rain.  To  add  to  his  perplexity,  he  lost  his 
way.  After  he  had  groped  about  for  a  long  time,  he  perceived 
a  light,  which  made  him  suppose  that  he  was  not  far  from 
some  house.  He  accordingly  pursued  his  way  toward  it,  and 
in  a  short  time  found  himself  at  the  gates  of  the  most  mag 
nificent  palace  he  had  ever  beheld.  The  entrance  door  was  of 
gold,  covered  with  sapphires,  which  shone  so  that  scarcely 
could  the  strongest  eyesight  bear  to  look  at  it.  This  was  the 
light  the  Prince  had  seen  from  the  forest.  The  walls  were  of 
transparent  porcelain,  variously  colored,  and  represented  the 
history  of  all  the  fairies  that  had  existed  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world.  The  Prince,  coming  back  to  the  golden  door, 
observed  a  deer's  foot  fastened  to  a  chain  of  diamonds;  he 
could  not  help  wondering  at  the  magnificence  he  beheld,  and 
the  security  in  which  the  inhabitants  seemed  to  live.  "  For," 
said  he  to  himself,  "  nothing  could  be  easier  than  for  thieves 
to  steal  this  chain,  and  as  many  of  the  sapphire  stones  as 
would  make  their  fortunes.'*  He  pulled  the  chain  and  heard 
a  bell,  the  sound  of  which  was  exquisite.  In  a  few  moments 
the  door  was  opened ;  yet  he  perceived  nothing  but  twelve 
hands  in  the  air,  each  holding  a  torch.  The  Prince  was  so 
astonished  that  he  durst  not  move  a  step — when  he  felt  himself 
gently  pushed  on  by  some  other  hands  from  behind  him.  He 
walked  on  in  great  perplexity  till  he  entered  a  vestibule  inlaid 
with  porphyry  and  lapis  stone,  where  the  most  melodious  voice 
he  had  ever  heard  chanted  the  following  words : 

"  Welcome,  Prince,  no  danger  fear, 
Mirth  and  love  attend  you  here ; 
You  shall  break  the  magic  spell, 
That  on  a  beauteous  lady  fell. 

"  Welcome,  Prince,  no  danger  fear, 
Mirth  and  love  attend  you  here." 

[217] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

The  Prince  now  advanced  with  confidence,  wondering  what 
these  words  could  mean ;  the  hands  moved  him  forward  toward 
a  large  door  of  coral,  which  opened  of  itself  to  give  him  ad 
mittance  into  a  splendid  apartment  built  of  mother-of-pearl, 
through  which  he  passed  into  others,  so  richly  adorned  with 
paintings  and  jewels,  and  so  resplendently  lighted  with  thou 
sands  of  lamps,  girandoles,  and  lusters,  that  he  imagined  he 
must  be  in  an  enchanted  palace.  When  he  had  passed  through 
sixty  apartments,  all  equally  splendid,  he  was  stopped  by  the 
hands,  and  a  large  easy  chair  advanced  of  itself  toward  the 
fireplace;  then  the  hands,  which  he  observed  were  extremely 
white  and  delicate,  took  off  his  wet  clothes,  and  supplied  their 
place  with  the  finest  linen  imaginable,  adding  a  comfortable 
wrapping  gown  embroidered  with  gold  and  pearls. 

The  hands  next  brought  him  an  elegant  dressing  table, 
and  combed  his  hair  so  very  gently  that  he  scarcely  felt  their 
touch.  They  held  before  him  a  beautiful  basin,  filled  with 
perfumes,  for  him  to  wash  his  face  and  hands,  and  afterwards 
took  off  the  wrapping  gown  and  dressed  him  in  a  suit  of 
clothes  of  still  greater  splendor.  When  his  toilet  was  com 
plete,  they  conducted  him  to  an  apartment  he  had  not  yet  seen, 
and  which  also  was  magnificently  furnished.  There  was  a 
table  spread  for  supper,  and  everything  upon  it  was  of  the 
purest  gold  adorned  with  jewels.  The  Prince  observed  there 
were  two  covers  set,  and  was  wondering  who  was  to  be  his 
companion,  when  his  attention  was  suddenly  caught  by  a  small 
figure  not  a  foot  high  which  just  then  entered  the  room  and  ad 
vanced  toward  him.  It  had  on  a  long  black  veil,  and  was  sup 
ported  by  two  cats  dressed  in  mourning  and  with  swords  by 
their  sides.  They  were  followed  by  a  numerous  retinue  of 
cats,  some  carrying  cages  full  of  rats,  and  others  mouse  traps 
full  of  mice. 

The  Prince  was  at  a  loss  what  to  think.  The  little  figure 
now  approached,  and  throwing  aside  her  veil,  he  beheld  a  most 
beautiful  white  cat.  She  seemed  young  and  melancholy,  and 
addressing  herself  to  him,  she  said :  "  My  Prince,  you  are  wel 
come  ;  your  presence  affords  me  the  greatest  pleasure." 

[218] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Madam,"  replied  he,  "  I  would  fain  thank  you  for  your 
generosity,  nor  can  I  help  observing  that  you  must  be  an 
extraordinary  creature  to  possess,  with  your  present  form, 
the  gift  of  speech  and  the  most  magnificent  palace  I  have  ever 
seen." 

"  All  this  is  very  true,"  answered  the  beautiful  cat ;  "  but, 
Prince,  I  am  not  fond  of  talking,  and  least  of  all  do  I  like  com 
pliments  ;  let  us  therefore  sit  down  to  supper." 

The  trunkless  hands  then  placed  the  dishes  on  the  table, 
and  :he  Prince  and  White  Cat  seated  themselves  at  it.  The 
first  dish  was  a  pie  made  of  young  pigeons,  and  the  next  was  a 
fricassee  of  the  fattest  mice.  The  view  of  the  one  made  the 
Prince  almost  afraid  to  taste  the  other,  till  the  White  Cat,  who 
guessed  his  thoughts,  assured  him  that  there  were  certain 
dishes  at  table  which  had  been  dressed  on  purpose  for  him,  in 
which  there  was  not  a  morsel  of  either  rat  or  mouse.  Accord 
ingly,  he  ate  heartily  of  such  as  she  recommended.  When 
supper  was  over,  he  perceived  that  the  White  Cat  had  a  por 
trait  set  in  gold  hanging  to  one  of  her  feet.  He  begged  her 
permission  to  look  at  it,  when,  to  his  astonishment,  he  saw  the 
portrait  of  a  handsome  young  man  who  exactly  resembled 
himself!  He  thought  there  was  something  most  extraordi 
nary  in  all  this ;  yet,  as  the  White  Cat  sighed  and  looked  very 
sorrowful,  he  did  not  venture  to  ask  any  questions.  He  con 
versed  with  her  on  different  subjects,  and  found  her  extremely 
well  versed  in  everything  that  was  passing  in  the  world.  When 
night  was  far  advanced,  his  hostess  wished  him  a  good  night, 
and  he  was  conducted  by  the  hands  to  his  bedchamber,  which 
was  different  still  from  anything  he  had  seen  in  the  palace, 
being  hung  with  the  wings  of  butterflies  mixed  with  the  most 
curious  feathers.  His  bed  was  of  gauze,  festooned  with 
bunches  of  the  gayest  ribbons,  and  the  looking-glasses  reached 
from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling.  The  Prince  was  undressed  and 
put  into  bed  by  the  hands  without  speaking  a  word.  He,  how 
ever,  slept  little,  and  in  the  morning  was  awakened  by  a  con 
fused  noise.  The  hands  took  him  out  of  bed  and  put  on  him 
a  handsome  hunting  jacket.  He  looked  into  the  courtyard 

[219] 


THE  FAIRT   RING 

f 

and  perceived  more  than  five  hundred  cats  busily  employed  in 
preparing  for  the  field — for  this  was  a  day  of  festival.  Pres 
ently  the  White  Cat  came  to  his  apartment,  and  having  politely 
inquired  after  his  health,  she  invited  him  to  partake  of  their 
amusement.  The  Prince  willingly  acceded,  and  mounted  a 
wooden  horse,  richly  caparisoned,  which  had  been  prepared 
for  him,  and  which  he  was  assured  would  gallop  to  admira 
tion.  The  beautiful  White  Cat  mounted  a  monkey ;  she  wore 
a  dragoon's  cap,  which  made  her  look  so  fierce  that  all  the  rats 
and  mice  ran  away  in  the  utmost  terror. 

Everything  being  ready,  the  horns  sounded  and  away  they 
went.  No  hunting  was  ever  more  agreeable.  The  cats  ran 
faster  than  the  hares  and  rabbits,  and  when  they  caught  any 
they  turned  them  out  to  be  hunted  in  the  presence  of  the 
White  Cat,  and  a  thousand  cunning  tricks  were  played.  Nor 
were  the  birds  in  safety,  for  the  monkey  made  nothing  of 
climbing  up  the  trees  with  the  White  Cat  on  his  back,  to  the 
nests  of  the  young  eagles.  When  the  chase  was  over,  the 
whole  retinue  returned  to  the  palace.  The  White  Cat  imme 
diately  exchanged  her  dragoon's  cap  for  the  veil,  and  sat  down 
to  supper  with  the  Prince,  who,  being  very  hungry,  ate 
heartily,  and  afterwards  partook  with  her  of  the  most  delicious 
wines.  He  then  was  conducted  to  his  chamber  as  before,  and 
wakened  in  the  morning  to  renew  the  same  sort  of  life,  which 
day  after  day  became  so  charming  to  him  that  he  no  longer 
thought  of  anything  but  of  pleasing  the  sweet  little  creature 
who  received  him  so  courteously.  Accordingly,  every  day  was 
spent  in  new  amusements.  The  Prince  had  almost  forgotten 
his  country  and  relations,  and  sometimes  even  regretted  that 
he  was  not  a  cat,  so  great  was  his  affection  for  his  mewing 
companions. 

"  Alas!  "  said  he  to  the  White  Cat,  "  how  will  it  afflict  me  to 
leave  you,  whom  I  love  so  much!  Either  make  yourself  a 
lady  or  make  me  a  cat."  She  smiled  at  the  Prince's  wish,  but 
offered  no  reply. 

At  length  the  twelvemonth  was  nearly  expired.  The  White 
Cat,  who  knew  the  very  day  when  the  Prince  was  to  reach  his 

[220] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

father's  palace,  reminded  him  that  he  had  but  three  days  longer 
to  look  for  a  perfect  little  dog.  The  Prince,  astonished  at  his 
own  forgetfulness,  began  to  afflict  himself,  when  the  cat  told 
him  not  to  be  so  sorrowful,  since  she  would  not  only  provide 
him  with  a  little  dog,  but  also  with  a  wooden  horse  which 
should  convey  him  safely  home  in  less  than  twelve  hours. 

"  Look  here,"  said  she,  showing  him  an  acorn,  "  this  con 
tains  what  you  desire." 

The  Prince  put  the  acorn  to  his  ear,  and  heard  the  barking 
of  a  little  dog.  Transported  with  joy,  he  thanked  the  cat  a 
thousand  times,  and  the  next  day,  bidding  her  tenderly  adieu, 
he  set  out  on  his  return. 

The  Prince  arrived  first  at  the  place  of  rendezvous,  and  was 
soon  joined  by  his  brothers.  They  mutually  embraced,  and 
began  to  give  an  account  of  their  success,  when  the  youngest 
showed  them  only  a  little  mongrel  cur,  telling  them  that  he 
thought  it  could  not  fail  to  please  the  King,  from  its  extraordi 
nary  beauty.  The  brothers  trod  on  each  other's  toes  under  the 
table,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  We  have  little  to  fear  from  this 
sorry-looking  animal."  The  next  day  they  went  together  to 
the  palace.  The  dogs  of  the  two  elder  brothers  were  lying  on 
cushions,  and  so  curiously  wrapped  around  with  embroidered 
quilts  that  one  would  scarcely  venture  to  touch  them.  The 
youngest  produced  his  cur,  and  all  wondered  how  the  Prince 
could  hope  to  receive  a  crown  for  such  a  shabby  present.  The 
King  examined  the  two  little  dogs  of  the  elder  Princes,  and 
declared  he  thought  them  so  equally  beautiful  that  he  knew 
not  to  which,  with  justice,  he  could  give  the  preference.  They 
accordingly  began  to  dispute,  when  the  youngest  Prince,  tak 
ing  his  acorn  from  his  pocket,  soon  ended  their  contention ; 
for  a  little  dog  appeared  which  could  with  ease  go  through  the 
smallest  ring,  and  was  besides  a  miracle  of  beauty.  The  King 
could  not  possibly  hesitate  in  declaring  his  satisfaction ;  yet, 
as  he  was  not  more  inclined  than  the  year  before  to  part  with 
his  crown,  he  told  his  sons  that  he  was  extremely  obliged  to 
them  for  the  pains  they  had  taken,  and  since  they  had  suc 
ceeded  so  well,  he  wished  they  would  make  a  second  attempt ; 

[221] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

he  therefore  begged  they  would  take  another  year  in  order  to 
procure  a  piece  of  cambric  fine  enough  to  be  drawn  through 
the  eye  of  a  small  needle. 

The  three  Princes  thought  this  very  hard;  yet  they  set  out, 
in  obedience  to  the  King's  command.  The  two  eldest  took 
different  roads,  and  the  youngest  remounted  his  wooden  horse, 
and  in  a  short  time  arrived  at  the  palace  of  his  beloved  White 
Cat,  who  received  him  with  the  greatest  joy,  while  the  trunk- 
less  hands  helped  him  to  dismount  and  provided  him  with  im 
mediate  refreshment.  Afterwards  the  Prince  gave  the  White 
Cat  an  account  of  the  admiration  which  had  been  bestowed 
on  the  beautiful  little  dog,  and  informed  her  of  the  further 
injunction  of  his  father. 

"  Make  yourself  perfectly  easy,  dear  Prince,"  said  she ;  "  I 
have  in  my  palace  some  cats  who  are  perfect  adepts  in  making 
such  cambric  as  the  King  requires ;  so  you  have  nothing  to  do 
but  to  give  me  the  pleasure  of  your  company  while  it  is  making 
and  I  will  procure  you  all  the  amusement  possible." 

She  accordingly  ordered  the  most  curious  fireworks  to  be 
played  off  in  sight  of  the  window  of  the  apartment  in  which 
they  were  sitting,  and  nothing  but  festivity  and  rejoicing  was 
heard  throughout  the  palace  for  the  Prince's  return.  As  the 
White  Cat  frequently  gave  proofs  of  an  excellent  understand 
ing,  the  Prince  was  by  no  means  tired  of  her  company;  she 
talked  with  him  of  state  affairs,  of  theaters,  of  fashions — in 
short,  she  was  at  a  loss  on  no  subject  whatever ;  so  that  when 
the  Prince  was  aione  he  had  plenty  of  amusement  in  thinking 
how  it  could  possibly  be  that  a  small  white  cat  should  be  en 
dowed  with  all  the  attractions  of  the  very  best  and  most  charm 
ing  of  women. 

The  twelvemonth  in  this  manner  again  passed  insensibly 
away,  but  the  cat  took  care  to  remind  the  Prince  of  his  duty 
in  proper  time.  "  For  once,  my  Prince,"  said  she,  "  I  will  have 
the  pleasure  of  equipping  you  as  suits  your  high  rank."  And, 
looking  into  the  courtyard,  he  saw  a  superb  car,  ornamented 
all  over  with  gold,  silver,  pearls,  and  diamonds,  drawn  by 
twelve  horses  as  white  as  snow,  and  harnessed  in  the  most 

[  222] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

sumptuous  trappings ;  and  behind  the  car  a  thousand  guards, 
richly  appareled,  were  waiting  to  attend  on  the  Prince's  per 
son.  She  then  presented  him  with  a  nut :  "  You  will  find  in  it," 
said  she,  "  the  piece  of  cambric  I  promised  you ;  do  not  break 
the  shell  till  you  are  in  the  presence  of  the  King  your  father."" 
Then,  to  prevent  the  acknowledgments  which  the  Prince  was 
about  to  offer,  she  hastily  bade  him  adieu. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  speed  with  which  the  snow-white 
horses  conveyed  this  fortunate  Prince  to  his  father's  palace, 
where  his  brothers  had  just  arrived  before  him.  They  em 
braced  each  other,  and  demanded  an  immediate  audience  of 
the  King,  who  received  them  with  the  greatest  of  kindness. 
The  Princes  hastened  to  place  at  the  feet  of  his  majesty  the 
curious  present  he  had  required  them  to  procure.  The  eldest 
produced  a  piece  of  cambric  so  extremely  fine  that  his  friends 
had  no  doubt  of  its  passing  through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  which 
was  now  delivered  to  the  King,  having  been  kept  locked  up  in 
the  custody  of  his  majesty's  treasurer  all  the  time.  But  when 
the  King  tried  to  draw  the  cambric  through  the  eye  of  the 
needle  it  would  not  pass,  though  it  failed  but  very  little.  Then 
came  the  second  Prince,  who  made  as  sure  of  obtaining  the 
crown  as  his  brother  had  done,  but,  alas !  with  no  better  suc 
cess  ;  for  though  his  piece  of  cambric  was  exquisitely  fine,  yet 
it  could  not  be  drawn  through  the  eye  of  the  needle.  It  was 
now  the  turn  of  the  youngest  Prince,  who  accordingly  ad 
vanced,  and  opening  an  elegant  little  box  inlaid  with  jewels, 
took  out  a  walnut  and  cracked  the  shell,  imagining  he  should 
immediately  perceive  his  piece  of  cambric ;  but  what  was  his 
astonishment  to  see  nothing  but  a  filbert !  He  did  not,  however, 
lose  his  hopes ;  he  cracked  the  filbert,  and  it  presented  him  with 
a  cherry  stone.  The  lords  of  the  court,  who  had  assembled  to 
witness  this  extraordinary  trial,  could  not,  any  more  than  the 
Princes  his  brothers,  refrain  from  laughing,  to  think  he  should 
be  so  silly  as  to  claim  the  crown  on  no  better  pretensions. 
The  Prince,  however,  cracked  the  cherry  stone,  which  was 
filled  with  a  kernel ;  he  divided  it,  and  found  in  the  middle  a 
grain  of  wheat,  and  in  that  a  grain  of  millet  seed.  He  was 

[223] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

now  absolutely  confounded,  and  could  not  help  muttering 
between  his  teeth,  "  O  White  Cat,  White  Cat,  thou  hast  de 
ceived  me!  "  At  this  instant  he  felt  his  hand  scratched  by  the 
claw  of  a  cat,  upon  which  he  again  took  courage,  and  opening 
the  grain  of  millet  seed,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  present  he 
drew  forth  a  piece  of  cambric  four  hundred  yards  long,  and 
fine  enough  to  be  threaded  with  perfect  ease  through  the  eye 
of  the  needle. 

When  the  King  found  he  had  no  pretext  left  for  refusing 
the  crown  to  his  youngest  son,  he  sighed  deeply,  and  it  was 
easy  to  be  seen  that  he  was  sorry  for  the  Prince's  success. 

"  My  sons,"  said  he,  "  it  is  so  gratifying  to  the  heart  of  a 
father  to  receive  proofs  of  his  children's  love  and  obedience, 
that  I  cannot  refuse  myself  the  satisfaction  of  requiring  of 
you  one  thing  more.  You  must  undertake  another  expedition. 
That  one  of  you  who,  by  the  end  of  the  year,  brings  me  the 
most  beautiful  lady  shall  marry  her  and  obtain  my  crown." 

So  they  again  took  leave  of  the  King  and  of  each  other,  and 
set  out  without  delay ;  and  in  less  than  twelve  hours  our  young 
Prince  arrived,  in  his  splendid  car,  at  the  palace  of  his  dear 
White  Cat.  Everything  went  on  as  before  till  the  end  of  an 
other  year.  At  length  only  one  day  remained  of  the  year, 
when  the  White  Cat  thus  addressed  him:  "To-morrow,  my 
Prince,  you  must  present  yourself  at  the  palace  of  your  father 
and  give  him  a  proof  of  your  obedience.  It  depends  only  on 
yourself  to  conduct  thither  the  most  beautiful  princess  ever 
yet  beheld,  for  the  time  is  come  when  the  enchantment  by 
which  I  am  bound  may  be  ended.  You  must  cut  off  my  head 
and  tail,"  continued  she,  "  and  throw  them  into  the  fire." 

"  I !  "  said  the  Prince  hastily—"  I  cut  off  your  head  and  tail ! 
You  surely  mean  to  try  my  affection,  which,  believe  me,  beau 
tiful  cat,  is  truly  yours." 

"  You  mistake  me,  generous  Prince,"  said  she ;  "  I  do  not 
doubt  your  regard,  but  if  you  wish  to  see  me  in  any  other  form 
than  that  of  a  cat  you  must  consent  to  do  as  I  desire,  when 
you  will  have  done  me  a  service  I  shall  never  be  able  suf 
ficiently  to  repay." 

[224] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

The  Prince's  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she  spoke,  yet  he  con 
sidered  himself  obliged  to  undertake  the  dreadful  task;  and 
the  cat  continuing  to  press  him  with  the  greatest  eagerness, 
with  a  trembling  hand  he  drew  his  sword,  cut  off  her  head 
and  tail,  and  threw  them  into  the  fire.  No  sooner  was  this 
done  than  the  most  beautiful  lady  his  eyes  had  ever  seen  stood 
before  him,  and  ere  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  from  his 
surprise  to  speak  to  her,  a  long  train  of  attendants,  who  at 
the  same  moment  as  their  mistress  were  changed  to  their 
natural  shapes,  came  to  offer  their  congratulations  to  the 
Queen  and  inquire  her  commands.  She  received  them  with 
the  greatest  kindness,  and  ordering  them  to  withdraw,  thus 
addressed  the  astonished  Prince : 

"Do  not  imagine,  dear  Prince,  that  I  have  always  been  a 
cat,  or  that  I  am  of  obscure  birth.  My  father  was  the  monarch 
of  six  kingdoms ;  he  tenderly  loved  my  mother,  and  left  her 
always  at  liberty  to  follow  her  own  inclinations.  Her  pre 
vailing  passion  was  to  travel,  and  a  short  time  before  my  birth, 
having  heard  of  some  fairies  who  were  in  possession  of  the 
largest  gardens  filled  with  the  most  delicious  fruits,  she  had 
so  strong  a  desire  to  eat  some  of  them  that  she  set  out  for  the 
country  where  they  lived.  She  arrived  at  their  abode,  which 
she  found  to  be  a  magnificent  palace,  glittering  on  all  sides 
with  gold  and  precious  stones.  She  knocked  a  long  time  at 
the  gates,  but  no  one  came,  nor  could  she  perceive  the  least 
sign  that  it  had  any  inhabitant.  The  difficulty,  however,  did 
but  increase  the  violence  of  my  mother's  longing,  for  she  saw 
the  tops  of  the  trees  above  the  garden  walls  loaded  with  the 
most  luscious  fruits.  The  Queen,  in  despair,  ordered  her  at 
tendants  to  place  tents  close  to  the  door  of  the  palace;  but, 
having  waited  six  weeks  without  seeing  anyone  pass  the  gates, 
she  fell  sick  of  vexation  and  her  life  was  despaired  of. 

"  One  night,  as  she  lay  half  asleep,  she  turned  herself  about, 
and  opening  her  eyes,  perceived  a  little  old  woman,  very  ugly 
and  deformed,  seated  in  the  easy  chair  by  her  bedside.  '  I 
and  my  sister  fairies/  said  she,  '  take  it  very  ill  that  your  maj 
esty  should  so  obstinately  persist  in  getting  some  of  our  fruit ; 

[225] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

but  since  so  precious  a  life  is  at  stake,  we  consent  to  give  you  as 
much  as  you  can  carry  away  provided  you  will  give  us  in  return 
what  we  shall  ask.'  '  Ah,  kind  fairy ! '  cried  the  Queen,  '  I  will 
give  you  anything  that  I  possess,  even  my  very  kingdoms,  on 
condition  that  I  eat  of  your  fruit/  The  old  fairy  then  in 
formed  the  Queen  that  what  they  required  was  that  she  should 
give  them  the  child  she  was  going  to  have  as  soon  as  it  should 
be  born,  adding  that  every  possible  care  should  be  taken  of  it, 
and  that  it  should  become  the  most  accomplished  princess. 
The  Queen  replied  that  however  cruel  the  conditions  she  must 
accept  them,  since  nothing  but  the  fruit  could  save  her  life. 
In  short,  dear  Prince,"  continued  the  lady,  "  my  mother  in 
stantly  got  out  of  bed,  was  dressed  by  her  attendants,  entered 
the  palace,  and  satisfied  her  longing.  Having  eaten  her  fill, 
she  ordered  four  thousand  mules  to  be  procured  and  loaded 
with  the  fruit,  which  had  the  virtue  of  continuing  all  the  year 
round  in  a  state  of  perfection.  Thus  provided,  she  returned 
to  the  King  my  father,  who,  with  the  whole  court,  received  her 
with  rejoicings,  as  it  was  before  imagined  she  would  die  of 
disappointment.  All  this  time  the  Queen  said  nothing  to  my 
father  of  the  promise  she  had  made  to  give  her  daughter  to 
the  fairies,  so  that  when  the  time  was  come  that  she  expected 
my  birth  she  grew  very  melancholy ;  till  at  length,  being 
pressed  by  the  King,  she  declared  to  him  the  truth.  Nothing 
could  exceed  his  affliction  when  he  heard  that  his  only  child, 
when  born,  was  to  be  given  to  the  fairies.  He  bore  it,  how 
ever,  as  well  as  he  could  for  fear  of  adding  to  my  mother's 
grief,  and  also  believing  he  should  find  some  means  of  keep 
ing  me  in  a  place  of  safety,  which  the  fairies  would  not  be  able 
to  approach.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  I  was  born,  he  had  me 
conveyed  to  a  tower  in  the  palace,  to  which  there  were  twenty 
flights  of  stairs  and  a  door  to  each,  of  which  my  father  kept 
the  key,  so  that  none  came  near  me  without  his  consent.  When 
the  fairies  heard  of  what  had  been  done,  they  sent  first  to  de 
mand  me,  and  on  my  father's  refusal,  they  let  loose  a  mon 
strous  dragon,  which  devoured  men,  women,  and  children, 
and  which,  by  the  breath  of  its  nostrils,  destroyed  everything 

[226] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

it  came  near,  so  that  even  the  trees  and  plants  began  to  die. 
The  grief  of  the  King  was  excessive,  and,  finding  that  his  whole 
kingdom  would  in  a  short  time  be  reduced  to  famine,  he  con 
sented  to  give  me  into  their  hands.     I  was  accordingly  laid  in 
a  cradle  of  mother-of-pearl,  ornamented  with  gold  and  jewels, 
and  carried  to  their  palace,  when  the  dragon  immediately  dis 
appeared.     The  fairies  placed  me  in  a  tower,  elegantly  fur 
nished,  but  to  which  there  was  no  door,  so  that  whoever  ap 
proached  was  obliged  to  come  by  the  windows,  which  were 
a  great  height  from  the  ground.    From  these  I  had  the  liberty 
of  getting  out  into  a  delightful  garden,  in  which  were  baths, 
and  every  sort  of  cooling  fruit.    In  this  place  was  I  educated 
by  the  fairies,  who  behaved  to  me  with  the  greatest  kindness ; 
my  clothes  were  splendid,  and  I  was  instructed  in  every  kind 
of  accomplishment ;  in  short,  Prince,  if  I  had  never  seen  any 
one  but  themselves  I  should  have  remained  very  happy.     One 
day,  however,  as  I  was  talking  at  the  window  with  my  parrot, 
I  perceived  a  young  gentleman  who  was  listening  to  our  con 
versation.    As  I  had  never  seen  a  man  but  in  pictures,  I  was 
not  sorry  for  the  opportunity  of  gratifying  my  curiosity.     I 
thought  him  a  very  pleasing  object,  and  he  at  length  bowed 
in  the  most  respectful  manner,  without  daring  to  speak,  for 
he  knew  that  I  was  in  the  palace  of  the  fairies.     When  it  be 
gan  to  grow  dark  he  went  away,  and  I  vainly  endeavored  to 
see  which  road  he  took.    The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  it  was 
light,  I  again  placed  myself  at  the  window,  and  had  the  pleas 
ure  of  seeing  that  the  gentleman  had  returned  to  the  same 
place.     He  now  spoke  to  me  through  a  speaking  trumpet,  and 
informed  me  he  thought  me  a  most  charming  lady,  and  that 
he  should  be  very  unhappy  if  he  did  not  pass  his  life  in  my 
company. 

"  I  resolved  to  find  some  means  of  escaping  from  my  tower, 
and  was  not  long  in  devising  the  means  for  the  execution  of 
my  project.  I  begged  the  fairies  to  bring  me  a  netting  needle, 
a  mesh,  and  some  cord,  saying  I  wished  to  make  some  nets  to 
amuse  myself  with  catching  birds  at  my  window.  This  they 
readily  complied  with,  and  in  a  short  time  I  completed  a  lad- 

[227] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

der  long  enough  to  reach  to  the  ground.  I  now  sent  my  par 
rot  to  the  Prince  to  beg  he  would  come  to  the  usual  place,  as 
I  wished  to  speak  with  him.  He  did  hot  fail ;  and  finding  the 
ladder,  mounted  it,  and  quickly  entered  my  tower.  This  at 
first  alarmed  me,  but  the  charms  of  his  conversation  had  re 
stored  me  to  tranquillity,  when  all  at  once  the  window  opened, 
and  the  Fairy  Violent,  mounted  on  the  dragon's  back,  rushed 
into  the  tower.  My  beloved  Prince  thought  of  nothing  but 
how  to  defend  me  from  their  fury,  for  I  had  had  time  to 
relate  to  him  my  story  previous  to  this  cruel  interruption,  but 
their  numbers  overpowered  him,  and  the  Fairy  Violent  had 
the  barbarity  to  command  the  dragon  to  devour  my  lover  be 
fore  my  eyes.  In  my  despair  I  would  have  thrown  myself 
also  into  the  mouth  of  the  horrible  monster,  but  this  they 
took  care  to  prevent,  saying  my  life  should  be  preserved  for 
greater  punishment.  The  fairy  then  touched  me  with  her 
wand  and  I  instantly  became  a  white  cat.  She  next  conducted 
me  to  this  palace,  which  belonged  to  my  father,  and  gave  me 
a  train  of  cats  for  my  attendants,  together  with  the  twelve 
hands  that  waited  on  your  highness.  She  then  informed  me 
of  my  birth  and  the  death  of  my  parents,  and  pronounced  upon 
me  what  she  imagined  the  greatest  of  maledictions ;  that  I 
should  not  be  restored  to  my  natural  figure  until  a  young 
prince,  the  perfect  resemblance  of  him  I  had  lost,  should  cut 
off  my  head  and  tail.  You  are  that  perfect  resemblance,  and 
accordingly  you  ended  the  enchantment.  I  need  not  add  that 
I  already  love  you  more  than  my  life ;  let  us  therefore  hasten 
to  the  palace  of  the  King  your  father,  and  obtain  his  approba 
tion  to  our  marriage." 

The  Prince  and  Princess  accordingly  set  out  side  by  side,  in 
a  car  of  still  greater  splendor  than  before,  and  reached  the  pal 
ace  just  as  the  two  brothers  had  arrived  with  two  beautiful 
princesses.  The  King,  hearing  that  each  of  his  sons  had  suc 
ceeded  in  finding  what  he  had  required,  again  began  to  think 
of  some  new  expedient  to  delay  the  time  of  his  resigning  the 
crown;  but  when  the  whole  court  with  the  King  was  assem 
bled  to  pass  judgment,  the  Princess  who  accompanied  the 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

youngest,  perceiving  his  thoughts  by  his  countenance,  stepped 
majestically  forward  and  thus  addressed  him: 

"  It  is  a  pity  that  your  majesty,  who  is  so  capable  of  govern 
ing,  should  think  of  resigning  the  crown!  I  am  fortunate 
enough  to  have  six  kingdoms  in  my  possession ;  permit  me  to 
bestow  one  on  each  of  the  eldest  princes,  and  to  enjoy  the 
remaining  four  in  the  society  of  the  youngest.  And  may  it 
please  your  majesty  to  keep  your  own  kingdom,  and  make  no 
decision  concerning  the  beauty  of  three  princesses,  who,  with 
out  such  a  proof  of  your  majesty's  preference,  will  no  doubt 
live  happily  together  !  " 

The  air  resounded  with  the  applauses  of  the  assembly.  The 
young  Prince  and  Princess  embraced  the  King,  and  next 
their  brothers  and  sisters.  The  three  weddings  immediately 
took  place,  and  the  kingdoms  were  divided  as  the  Princess  had 
proposed. 

Prince   Cherry 

~!T   ONG  ago  there  lived  a  monarch  who  was  such  a  very 

/  honest  man  that  his  subjects  entitled  him  the  Good 
-M. — 4  King.  One  day,  when  he  was  out  hunting,  a  little 
white  rabbit,  which  had  been  half  killed  by  his  hounds,  leaped 
right  into  his  majesty's  arms.  Said  he,  caressing  it :  "  This 
poor  creature  has  put  itself  under  my  protection,  and  I  will 
allow  no  one  to  injure  it."  So  he  carried  it  to  his  palace,  had 
prepared  for  it  a  neat  little  rabbit  hutch,  with  abundance  of 
the  daintiest  food  such  as  rabbits  love,  and  there  he  left  it. 

The  same  night,  when  he  was  alone  in  his  chamber,  there 
appeared  to  him  a  beautiful  lady.  She  was  dressed  neither  in 
gold,  nor  silver,  nor  brocade,  but  her  flowing  robes  were  white 
as  snow,  and  she  wore  a  garland  of  white  roses  on  her  head. 
The  Good  King  was  greatly  astonished  at  the  sight,  for  his 
door  was  locked,  and  he  wondered  how  so  dazzling  a  lady 
could  possibly  enter ;  but  she  soon  removed  his  doubts. 

"  I  am  the  Fairy  Candide,"  said  she,  with  a  smiling  and 

[229] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

gracious  air.  "  Passing  through  the  wood  where  you  were 
hunting,  I  took  a  desire  to  know  if  you  were  as  good  as  men 
say  you  are.  I  therefore  changed  myself  into  a  white  rabbit, 
and  took  refuge  in  your  arms.  You  saved  me  and  now  I 
know  that  those  who  are  merciful  to  dumb  beasts  will  be  ten 
times  more  so  to  human  beings.  You  merit  the  name  your 
subjects  give  you:  you  are  the  Good  King.  I  thank  you  for 
your  protection,  and  shall  be  always  one  of  your  best  friends. 
You  have  but  to  say  what  you  most  desire,  and  I  promise  you 
your  wish  shall  be  granted." 

"  Madam,"  replied  the  King,  "  if  you  are  a  fairy,  you  must 
know  without  my  telling  you  the  wish  of  my  heart.  I  have  one 
well-beloved  son,  Prince  Cherry.  Whatever  kindly  feeling 
you  have  toward  me,  extend  it  to  him." 

"  Willingly,"  said  Candide.  "  I  will  make  him  the  hand 
somest,  richest,  or  most  powerful  prince  in  the  world.  Choose 
whichever  you  desire  for  him." 

"  None  of  the  three,"  returned  the  father.  "  I  only  wish 
him  to  be  good — the  best  prince  in  the  whole  world.  Of  what 
use  would  riches,  power,  or  beauty  be  to  him  if  he  were  an 
evil  man?  " 

"  You  are  right,"  said  the  fairy ;  "  but  I  cannot  make  him 
good.  He  must  do  that  himself.  I  can  only  change  his  ex 
ternal  fortunes;  for  his  personal  character  the  utmost  I  can 
promise  is  to  give  him  good  counsel,  reprove  him  for  his  faults, 
and  even  punish  him  if  he  will  not  punish  himself.  You  mor 
tals  can  do  the  same  with  your  children." 

"  Ah,  yes !  "  said  the  King,  sighing.  Still  he  felt  that  the 
kindness  of  a  fairy  was  something  gained  for  his  son,  and 
died  not  long  after,  content  and  at  peace. 

Prince  Cherry  mourned  deeply,  for  he  dearly  loved  his 
father,  and  would  have  gladly  given  all  his  kingdoms  and 
treasures  to  keep  him  in  life  a  little  longer.  Two  days  after 
the  Good  King  was  no  more,  Prince  Cherry  was  sleeping  in 
his  chamber  when  he  saw  the  same  dazzling  vision  of  the 
Fairy  Candide. 

"  I  promised  your  father,"  said  she,  "  to  be  your  best  friend, 

[230] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

and  in  pledge  of  this  take  what  I  now  give  you  " ;  and  she 
placed  a  small  gold  ring  upon  his  finger.  "  Poor  as  it  looks, 
it  is  more  precious  than  diamonds,  for  whenever  you  do  ill 
it  will  prick  your  finger.  If,  after  that  warning,  you  still  con 
tinue  in  evil,  you  will  lose  my  friendship  and  I  shall  become 
your  direst  enemy." 

So  saying  she  disappeared,  leaving  Cherry  in  such  amaze 
ment  that  he  would  have  believed  it  all  a  dream  save  for  the 
ring  on  his  finger. 

He  was  for  a  long  time  so  good  that  the  ring  never  pricked 
him  at  all,  and  this  made  him  so  cheerful  and  pleasant  in  his 
humor  that  everybody  called  him  "  Happy  Prince  Cherry." 
But  one  unlucky  day  he  was  out  hunting  and  found  no  sport, 
which  vexed  him  so  much  that  he  showed  his  ill  temper  by 
his  looks  and  ways.  He  fancied  his  ring  felt  very  tight  and 
uncomfortable,  but  as  it  did  not  prick  him  he  took  no  heed 
of  this,  until,  reentering  his  palace,  his  little  pet  dog,  Bibi, 
jumped  up  upon  him,  and  was  sharply  told  to  get  away.  The 
creature,  accustomed  to  nothing  but  caresses,  tried  to  attract 
his  attention  by  pulling  at  his  garments,  when  Prince  Cherry 
turned  and  gave  it  a  severe  kick.  At  this  moment  he  felt  in 
his  finger  a  prick  like  a  pin. 

"  What  nonsense !  "  said  he  to  himself.  "  The  fairy  must 
be  making  game  of  me.  Why,  what  great  evil  have  I  done ! 
I,  the  master  of  a  great  empire,  cannot  I  kick  my  own  dog  ?  " 

A  voice  replied,  or  else  Prince  Cherry  imagined  it :  "  No, 
sire ;  the  master  of  a  great  empire  has  a  right  to  do  good,  but 
not  evil.  I — a  fairy — am  as  much  above  you  as  you  are  above 
your  dog.  I  might  punish  you,  kill  you,  if  I  chose ;  but  I  pre 
fer  leaving  you  to  amend  your  ways.  You  have  been  guilty 
of  three  faults  to-day — bad  temper,  passion,  cruelty.  Do  better 
to-morrow." 

The  Prince  promised,  and  kept  his  word  awhile ;  but  he  had 
been  brought  up  by  a  foolish  nurse  who  indulged  him  in  every 
way,  and  was  always  telling  him  that  he  would  be  a  king  one 
day,  when  he  might  do  as  he  liked  in  all  things.  He  found 
out  now  that  even  a  king  cannot  always  do  that;  it  vexed  him 

[230 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

and  made  him  angry.  His  ring  began  to  prick  him  so  often 
that  his  little  finger  was  continually  bleeding.  He  disliked  this, 
as  was  natural,  and  soon  began  to  consider  whether  it  would 
not  be  easier  to  throw  the  ring  away  altogether  than  to  be  con 
stantly  annoyed  by  it.  It  was  such  a  queer  thing  for  a  king 
to  have  always  a  spot  of  blood  on  his  finger !  At  last,  unable 
to  put  up  with  it  any  more,  he  took  his  ring  off  and  hid  it 
where  he  would  never  see  it,  and  believed  himself  the  happiest 
of  men,  for  he  could  now  do  exactly  what  he  liked.  He  did 
it,  and  became  every  day  more  and  more  miserable. 

One  day  he  saw  a  young  girl  so  beautiful  that,  being  always 
accustomed  to  have  his  own  way,  he  immediately  determined 
to  espouse  her.  He  never  doubted  that  she  would  be  only  too 
glad  to  be  made  a  queen,  for  she  was  very  poor.  But  Zelia — 
that  was  her  name — answered,  to  his  great  astonishment,  that 
she  would  rather  not  marry  him. 

"  Do  I  displease  you  ?  "  asked  the  Prince,  into  whose  mind 
it  had  never  entered  that  he  could  displease  anybody. 

"  Not  at  all,  my  Prince,"  said  the  honest  peasant  maiden. 
"  You  are  very  handsome,  very  charming ;  but  you  are  not  like 
your  father  the  Good  King.  I  will  not  be  your  queen,  for  you 
would  make  me  miserable." 

At  these  words  the  Prince's  love  seemed  all  to  turn  to  hatred. 
He  gave  orders  to  his  guards  to  convey  Zelia  to  a  prison 
near  the  palace,  and  then  took  counsel  with  his  foster  brother, 
the  one  of  all  his  evil  companions  who  most  incited  him  to  do 
wrong. 

"  Sire,"  said  this  man,  "  if  I  were  in  your  majesty's  place,  I 
would  never  vex  myself  about  a  poor  silly  girl.  Feed  her  on 
bread  and  water  till  she  comes  to  her  senses,  and  if  she  still 
refuses  you,  let  her  die  in  torment,  as  a  warning  to  your  other 
subjects  should  they  venture  to  dispute  your  will.  You  will 
be  disgraced  should  you  suffer  yourself  to  be  conquered  by  a 
simple  girl." 

"  But,"  said  Prince  Cherry,  "  shall  I  not  be  disgraced  if  I 
harm  a  creature  so  perfectly  innocent  ?  " 

"  No  one  is  innocent  who  disputes  your  majesty's  authority," 

[232] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

said  the  courtier  bowing ;  "  and  it  is  better  to  commit  an  in 
justice  than  allow  it  to  be  supposed  you  can  ever  be  contra 
dicted  with  impunity." 

This  touched  Cherry  on  his  weak  point — his  good  impulses 
faded ;  he  resolved  once  more  to  ask  Zelia  if  she  would  marry 
him,  and  if  she  again  refused,  to  sell  her  as  a  slave.  Arrived  at 
the  cell  in  which  she  was  confined,  what  was  his  astonishment 
to  find  her  gone!  He  knew  not  whom  to  accuse,  for  he  had 
kept  the  key  in  his  pocket  the  whole  time.  At  last  the  foster 
brother  suggested  that  the  escape  of  Zelia  might  have  been 
contrived  by  an  old  man,  Suliman  by  name,  the  Prince's  for 
mer  tutor,  who  was  the  only  one  who  now  ventured  to  blame 
him  for  anything  that  he  did.  Cherry  sent  immediately  and 
ordered  his  old  friend  to  be  brought  to  him  loaded  heavily 
with  irons.  Then,  full  of  fury,  he  went  and  shut  himself  up 
in  his  own  chamber,  where  he  went  raging  to  and  fro,  till 
startled  by  a  noise  like  a  clap  of  thunder.  The  Fairy  Candide 
stood  before  him. 

"  Prince,"  said  she  in  a  severe  voice,  "  I  promised  your 
father  to  give  you  good  counsels,  and  to  punish  you  if  you 
refused  to  follow  them.  My  counsels  were  forgotten,  my  pun 
ishments  despised.  Under  the  figure  of  a  man  you  have  been 
no  better  than  the  beasts  you  chase.  Like  a  lion  in  fury,  a 
wolf  in  gluttony,  a  serpent  in  revenge,  and  a  bull  in  brutality. 
Take,  therefore,  in  your  new  form  the  likeness  of  all  these 
animals." 

Scarcely  had  Prince  Cherry  heard  these  words  than  to  his 
horror  he  found  himself  transformed  into  what  the  fairy 
had  named.  He  was  a  creature  with  the  head  of  a  lion,  the 
horns  of  a  bull,  the  feet  of  a  wolf,  and  the  tail  of  a  serpent. 
At  the  same  time  he  felt  himself  transported  to  a  distant  for 
est  where,  standing  on  the  bank  of  a  stream,  he  saw  reflected 
in  the  water  his  own  frightful  shape,  and  heard  a  voice 
saying : 

"  Look  at  thyself,  and  know  that  thy  soul  has  become  a 
thousand  times  uglier  even  than  thy  body." 

Cherry  recognized  the  voice  of  Candide,  and  in  his  rage 

[233] 


THE   PAIRT   RING 

would  have  sprung  upon  her  and  devoured  her;  but  he  saw 
nothing,  and  the  same  voice  said  behind  him: 

"  Cease  thy  feeble  fury,  and  learn  to  conquer  thy  pride  by 
being  in  submission  to  thine  own  subjects." 

Hearing  no  more,  he  soon  quitted  the  stream,  hoping  at 
least  to  get  rid  of  the  sight  of  himself;  but  he  had  scarcely 
gone  twenty  paces  when  he  tumbled  into  a  pitfall  that  was 
laid  to  catch  bears;  the  bear  hunters,  descending  from  some 
trees  hard  by,  caught  him,  chained  him,  and,  only  too  delighted 
to  get  hold  of  such  a  curious-looking  animal,  led  him  along 
with  them  to  the  capital  of  his  own  kingdom. 

There  great  rejoicings  were  taking  place,  and  the  bear 
hunters,  asking  what  it  was  all  about,  were  told  that  it  was 
because  Prince  Cherry,  the  torment  of  his  subjects,  had  just 
been  struck  dead  by  a  thunderbolt — just  punishment  of  all  his 
crimes.  Four  courtiers,  his  wicked  companions,  had  wished  to 
divide  his  throne  between  them,  but  the  people  had  risen  up 
against  them  and  offered  the  crown  to  Suliman,  the  old  tutor 
whom  Cherry  had  ordered  to  be  arrested. 

All  this  the  poor  monster  heard.  He  even  saw  Suliman  sit 
ting  upon  his  own  throne,  and  trying  to  calm  the  populace  by 
representing  to  them  that  it  was  not  certain  Prince  Cherry  was 
dead;  that  he  might  return  one  day  to  reassume  with  honor 
the  crown  which  Suliman  only  consented  to  wear  as  a  sort  of 
viceroy. 

"  I  know  his  heart,"  said  the  honest  and  faithful  old  man ; 
"  it  is  tainted,  but  not  corrupt.  If  alive,  he  may  yet  reform, 
and  be  all  his  father  over  again  to  you,  his  people,  whom  he 
has  caused  to  suffer  so  much." 

These  words  touched  the  poor  beast  so  deeply  that  he  ceased 
to  beat  himself  against  the  iron  bars  of  the  cage  in  which  the 
hunters  carried  him  about,  became  gentle  as  a  lamb,  and  suf 
fered  himself  to  be  taken  quietly  to  a  menagerie,  where  were 
kept  all  sorts  of  strange  and  ferocious  animals — a  place  which 
he  had  often  visited  as  a  boy,  but  in  which  he  never  thought 
he  should  be  shut  up  himself. 

However,  he  owned  he  had  deserved  it  all,  and  began  to 

[234] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

make  amends  by  showing  himself  very  obedient  to  his  keepei 
This  man  was  almost  as  great  a  brute  as  the  animals  he  had 
charge  of,  and  when  he  was  in  ill  humor  he  used  to  beat  them 
without  rhyme  or  reason.  One  day,  while  he  was  sleeping, 
a  tiger  broke  loose  and  leaped  upon  him,  eager  to  devour  him. 
Cherry  at  first  felt  a  thrill  of  pleasure  at  the  thought  of  being 
revenged ;  then,  seeing  how  helpless  the  man  was,  he  wished 
himself  free,  that  he  might  defend  him.  Immediately  the  doors 
of  his  cage  opened.  The  keeper,  waking  up,  saw  the  strange 
beast  leap  out,  and  imagined,  of  course,  that  he  was  going 
to  be  slain  at  once.  Instead,  he  saw  the  tiger  lying  dead,  and 
the  strange  beast  creeping  up  and  laying  itself  at  his  feet  to  be 
caressed.  But  as  he  lifted  up  his  hand  to  stroke  it,  a  voice  was 
heard  saying,  "  Good  actions  never  go  unrewarded  " ;  and,  in 
stead  of  the  frightful  monster,  there  crouched  on  the  ground 
nothing  but  a  pretty  little  dog. 

Cherry,  delighted  to  find  himself  thus  metamorphosed,  ca 
ressed  the  keeper  in  every  possible  way,  till  at  last  the  man 
took  him  up  in  his  arms  and  carried  him  to  the  King,  to 
whom  he  related  this  wonderful  story  from  beginning  to  end. 
The  Queen  wished  to  have  the  charming  little  dog,  and  Cherry 
would  have  been  exceedingly  happy  could  he  have  forgotten 
that  he  was  originally  a  man  and  a  King.  He  was  lodged  most 
elegantly,  had  the  richest  of  collars  to  adorn  his  neck,  and 
heard  himself  praised  continually.  But  his  beauty  rather 
brought  him  into  trouble,  for  the  Queen,  afraid  lest  he  might 
grow  too  large  for  a  pet,  took  advice  of  dog  doctors,  who 
ordered  that  he  should  be  fed  entirely  upon  bread,  and  that 
very  sparingly,  so  poor  Cherry  was  sometimes  nearly  starved. 

One  day  when  they  gave  him  his  crust  for  breakfast,  a  fancy 
seized  him  to  go  and  eat  it  in  the  palace  garden ;  so  he  took  the 
bread  in  his  mouth  and  trotted  away  toward  a  stream  which 
he  knew,  and  where  he  sometimes  stopped  to  drink.  But  in 
stead  of  the  stream  he  saw  a  splendid  palace  glittering  with 
gold  and  precious  stones.  Entering  the  doors  was  a  crowd  of 
men  and  women  magnificently  dressed,  and  within  there  was 
singing  and  dancing  and  good  cheer  of  all  sorts.  Yet,  how- 

[  235 1 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

ever  grandly  and  gayly  the  people  went  in,  Cherry  noticed  that 
those  who  came  out  were  pale,  thin,  ragged,  half-naked,  cov 
ered  with  wounds  and  sores.  Some  of  them  dropped  dead  at 
once ;  others  dragged  themselves  on  a  little  way  and  then  lay 
down,  dying  of  hunger,  and  vainly  begged  a  morsel  of  bread 
from  others  who  were  entering  in — who  never  took  the  least 
notice  of  them. 

Cherry  perceived  one  woman  who  was  trying  feebly  to 
gather  and  eat  some  green  herbs.  "  Poor  thing !  "  said  he 
to  himself ;  "  I  know  what  it  is  to  be  hungry,  and  I  want  my 
breakfast  badly  enough ;  but  still  it  will  not  kill  me  to  wait 
till  dinner  time,  and  my  crust  may  save  the  life  of  this  poor 
woman." 

So  the  little  dog  ran  up  to  her  and  dropped  his  bread  at  her 
feet ;  she  picked  it  up  and  ate  it  with  avidity.  Soon  she  looked 
quite  recovered,  and  Cherry,  delighted,  was  trotting  back 
again  to  his  kennel  when  he  heard  loud  cries,  and  saw  a  young 
girl  dragged  by  four  men  to  the  door  of  the  palace,  which 
they  were  trying  to  compel  her  to  enter.  Oh,  how  he  wished 
himself  a  monster  again,  as  when  he  slew  the  tiger ! — for  the 
young  girl  was  no  other  than  his  beloved  Zelia.  Alas!  what 
could  a  poor  little  dog  do  to  defend  her  ?  But  he  ran  forward 
and  barked  at  the  men,  and  bit  their  heels,  until  at  last  they 
chased  him  away  with  heavy  blows.  And  then  he  lay  down 
outside  the  palace  door,  determined  to  watch  and  see  what  had 
become  of  Zelia. 

Conscience  pricked  him  now.  "  What !  "  thought  he,  "  I 
am  furious  against  these  wicked  men,  who  are  carrying  her 
away,  and  did  I  not  do  the  same  myself?  Did  I  not  cast 
her  into  prison  and  intend  to  sell  her  as  a  slave  ?  Who  knows 
how  much  more  wickedness  I  might  not  have  done  to  her  and 
others  if  Heaven's  justice  had  not  stopped  me  in  time?  " 

While  he  lay  thinking  and  repenting,  he  heard  a  window 
open,  and  saw  Zelia  throw  out  of  it  a  bit  of  dainty  meat. 
Cherry,  who  felt  hungry  enough  by  this  time,  was  just  about 
to  eat  it  when  the  woman  to  whom  he  had  given  his  crust 
snatched  him  up  in  her  arms. 

[236] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Poor  little  beast !  "  cried  she,  patting  him,  "  every  bit  of 
food  in  that  palace  is  poisoned.  You  shall  not  touch  a  morsel." 

At  the  same  time  the  voice  in  the  air  repeated  again,  "  Good 
actions  never  go  unrewarded";  and  Cherry  found  himself 
changed  into  a  beautiful  little  white  pigeon.  He  remembered 
with  joy  that  white  was  the  color  of  the  Fairy  Candide,  and 
began  to  hope  that  she  was  taking  him  into  favor  again. 

So  he  stretched  his  wings,  delighted  that  he  might  now 
have  a  chance  of  approaching  his  fair  Zelia.  He  flew  up  to 
the  palace  windows,  and,  finding  one  of  them  open,  entered 
and  sought  everywhere,  but  he  could  not  find  Zelia.  Then, 
in  despair,  he  flew  out  again,  resolved  to  go  over  the  world 
until  he  beheld  her  once  more. 

He  took  flight  at  once,  and  traversed  many  countries, 
swiftly  as  a  bird  can,  but  found  no  trace  of  his  beloved.  At 
length  in  a  desert,  sitting  beside  an  old  hermit  in  his  cave  and 
partaking  with  him  his  frugal  repast,  Cherry  saw  a  poor 
peasant  girl,  and  recognized  Zelia.  Transported  with  joy  he 
flew  in,  perched  on  her  shoulder,  and  expressed  his  delight 
and  affection  by  a  thousand  caresses. 

She,  charmed  with  the  pretty  little  pigeon,  caressed  it  in  her 
turn,  and  promised  it  that,  if  it  would  stay  with  her,  she  would 
love  it  always. 

"  What  have  you  done,  Zelia  ?  "  said  the  hermit,  smiling ; 
and  while  he  spoke  the  white  pigeon  vanished,  and  there  stood 
Prince  Cherry  in  his  own  natural  form.  "  Your  enchantment 
ended,  Prince,  when  Zelia  promised  to  love  you.  Indeed,  she 
has  loved  you  always,  but  your  many  faults  constrained  her  to 
hide  her  love.  These  are  now  amended,  and  you  may  both 
live  happy  if  you  will,  because  your  union  is  founded  upon 
mutual  esteem." 

Cherry  and  Zelia  threw  themselves  at  the  feet  of  the  hermit, 
whose  form  also  began  to  change.  His  soiled  garments  be 
came  of  dazzling  whiteness,  and  his  long  beard  and  withered 
face  grew  into  the  flowing  hair  and  lovely  countenance  of  the 
Fairy  Candide. 

"  Rise  up,  my  children,"  said  she ;  "  I  must  now  transport 

[237] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

you  to  your  palace,  and  restore  to  Prince  Cherry  his  father's 
crown,  of  which  he  is  now  worthy." 

She  had  scarcely  ceased  speaking  when  they  found  them 
selves  in  the  chamber  of  Suliman,  who,  delighted  to  find  again 
his  beloved  pupil  and  master,  willingly  resigned  the  throne, 
and  became  the  most  faithful  of  his  subjects. 

King  Cherry  and  Queen  Zelia  reigned  together  for  many 
years,  and  it  is  said  that  the  former  was  so  blameless  and  strict 
in  all  his  duties  that  though  he  constantly  wore  the  ring  which 
Candide  had  restored  him,  it  never  once  pricked  his  finger 
enough  to  make  it  bleed. 


The    Wild  Swans 

J  1AR  away  in  the  land  to  which  the  swallows  fly  when 
rj  it  is  winter,  dwelt  a  king  who  had  eleven  sons,  and  one 
JL  daughter  named  Eliza.  The  eleven  brothers  were 
princes,  and  each  went  to  school  with  a  star  on  his  breast 
and  a  sword  by  his  side.  They  wrote  with  diamond  pencils 
on  gold  slates,  and  learned  their  lessons  so  quickly  and  read 
so  easily  that  everyone  might  know  they  were  princes.  Their 
sister  Eliza  sat  on  a  little  stool  of  plate  glass,  and  had  a  book 
full  of  pictures  which  had  cost  as  much  as  half  a  kingdom. 
Oh,  these  children  were  indeed  happy,  but  they  were  not  to  re 
main  so  always.  Their  father,  who  was  King  of  the  country, 
married  a  very  wicked  Queen  who  did  not  love  the  poor  chil 
dren  at  all.  They  knew  this  from  the  very  first  day  after  the 
wedding.  Tn  the  palace  there  were  great  festivities,  and  the 
children  played  at  receiving  company;  but  instead  of  having, 
as  usual,  all  the  cakes  and  apples  that  were  left,  she  gave  them 
some  sand  in  a  teacup  and  told  them  to  pretend  it  was  cake. 
The  week  after  she  sent  little  Eliza  into  the  country  to  a  peas 
ant  and  his  wife,  and  then  she  told  the  King  so  many  untrue 
things  about  the  young  princes  that  he  gave  himself  no  more 
trouble  respecting  them. 

[238] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

"  Go  out  into  the  world  and  get  your  own  living,"  said  the 
Queen.  "  Fly  like  great  birds  who  have  no  voice."  But  she 
could  not  make  them  ugly  as  she  wished,  for  they  were  turned 
into  eleven  beautiful  wild  swans.  Then,  with  a  strange  cry, 
they  flew  through  the  windows  of  the  palace,  over  the  park,  to 
the  forest  beyond.  It  was  yet  early  morning  when  they  passed 
the  peasant's  cottage,  where  their  sister  Eliza  lay  asleep  in  her 
room.  They  hovered  over  the  roof,  twisted  their  long  necks, 
and  flapped  their  wings ;  but  no  one  heard  them  or  saw  them, 
so  they  were  at  last  obliged  to  fly  away,  high  up  in  the  clouds ; 
and  over  the  wide  world  they  flew  till  they  came  to  a  thick, 
dark  wood,  which  stretched  far  away  to  the  seashore.  Poor 
little  Eliza  was  alone  in  her  room  playing  with  a  green  leaf, 
for  she  had  no  other  playthings,  and  she  pierced  a  hole  through 
the  leaf  and  looked  through  it  at  the  sun,  and  it  was  as  if  she 
saw  her  brothers'  clear  eyes,  and  when  the  warm  sun  shone 
on  her  cheeks  she  thought  of  all  the  kisses  they  had  given  her. 
One  day  passed  just  like  another ;  sometimes  the  winds  rustled 
through  the  leaves  of  the  rosebush,  and  would  whisper  to  the 
roses,  "  Who  can  be  more  beautiful  than  you?  "  But  the  roses 
would  shake  their  heads  and  say,  "  Eliza  is."  And  when  the  old 
woman  sat  at  the  cottage  door  on  Sunday  and  read  her  hymn 
book,  the  wind  would  flutter  the  leaves  and  say  to  the  book, 
"  Who  can  be  more  pious  than  you  ?  "  and  then  the  hymn  book 
would  answer,  "  Eliza."  And  the  roses  and  the  hymn  book 
told  the  real  truth.  At  fifteen  she  returned  home,  but  when  the 
Queen  saw  how  beautiful  she  was,  she  became  full  of  spite  and 
hatred  toward  her.  Willingly  would  she  have  turned  her  into 
a  swan,  like  her  brothers,  but  she  did  not  dare  to  do  so  yet, 
because  the  King  wished  to  see  his  daughter.  Early  one  morn 
ing  the  Queen  went  into  the  bathroom ;  it  was  built  of  marble, 
and  had  soft  cushions  trimmed  with  the  most  beautiful  tapestry. 
She  took  three  toads  with  her  and  kissed  them,  and  said  to 
one :  "  When  Eliza  comes  to  the  bath,  seat  yourself  upon  her 
head,  that  she  may  become  as  stupid  as  you  are."  Then  she 
said  to  another :  "  Place  yourself  on  her  forehead,  that  she  may 
become  as  ugly  as  you  are,  and  that  her  father  may  not  know 

[239] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

her/'  "  Rest  on  her  heart,"  she  whispered  to  the  third,  "  then 
she  will  have  evil  inclinations,  and  suffer  in  consequence."  So 
she  put  the  toads  into  clear  water,  and  they  turned  green  im 
mediately.  She  next  called  Eliza  and  helped  her  to  undress 
and  get  into  the  bath.  As  Eliza  dipped  her  head  under  the 
water  one  of  the  toads  sat  on  her  hair,  a  second  on  her  fore 
head,  and  a  third  on  her  breast,  but  she  did  not  seem  to  notice 
them,  and  when  she  rose  out  of  the  water  there  were  three 
red  poppies  floating  upon  it.  Had  not  the  creatures  been  veno 
mous  or  been  kissed  by  the  witch  they  would  have  been  changed 
into  red  roses.  At  all  events  they  became  flowers,  because  they 
had  rested  on  Eliza's  head,  and  on  her  heart.  She  was  too 
good  and  too  innocent  for  witchcraft  to  have  any  power  over 
her.  When  the  wicked  Queen  saw  this,  she  rubbed  her  face 
with  walnut  juice,  so  that  she  was  quite  brown ;  then  she 
tangled  her  beautiful  hair  and  smeared  it  with  disgusting  oint 
ment,  till  it  was  quite  impossible  to  recognize  the  beautiful 
Eliza. 

When  her  father  saw  her,  he  was  much  shocked  and  declared 
she  was  not  his  daughter.  No  one  but  the  watchdog  and 
the  swallows  knew  her,  and  they  were  only  dumb  animals  and 
could  say  nothing.  Then  poor  Eliza  wept,  and  thought  of  her 
eleven  brothers  who  were  all  away.  Sorrowfully  she  stole 
away  from  the  palace,  and  walked  the  whole  day  over  fields 
and  moors  till  she  came  to  the  great  forest.  She  knew  not  in 
what  direction  to  go;  but  she  was  so  unhappy  and  longed  so 
for  her  brothers  who  had  been,  like  herself,  driven  out  into 
the  world,  that  she  was  determined  to  seek  them.  She  had 
been  but  a  short  time  in  the  wood  when  night  came  on,  and 
she  quite  lost  the  path;  so  she  laid  herself  down  on  the  soft 
moss,  offered  up  her  evening  prayer,  and  leaned  her  head 
against  the  stump  of  a  tree.  All  nature  was  still,  and  the  soft, 
mild  air  fanned  her  forehead.  The  light  of  hundreds  of  glow 
worms  shone  amidst  the  grass  and  the  moss,  like  green  fire; 
and  if  she  touched  a  twig  with  her  hand  ever  so  lightly,  the 
brilliant  fireflies  fell  down  around  her  like  shooting  stars. 

All  night  long  she  dreamed  of  her  brothers.  She  and  they 

[240] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

were  children  again  playing  together.  She  saw  them  writing 
with  their  diamond  pencils  on  golden  slates,  while  she  looked 
at  the  beautiful  picture  book  which  had  cost  half  a  kingdom. 
They  were  not  writing  lines  and  letters,  as  they  used  to  do,  but 
descriptions  of  the  noble  deeds  they  had  performed,  and  of  all 
they  had  discovered  and  seen.  In  the  picture  book,  too,  every 
thing  was  living.  The  birds  sang,  and  the  people  came  out  of 
the  book  and  spoke  to  Eliza  and  her  brothers ;  but,  as  the  leaves 
turned  over  they  darted  back  again  to  their  places,  that  all 
might  be  in  order. 

When  she  awoke  the  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens,  yet  she 
could  scarcely  see  him,  for  the  lofty  trees  spread  their  branches 
thickly  over  her  head,  and  his  beams  were  glancing  through 
the  leaves  here  and  there  like  a  golden  mist.  There  was  a 
sweet  fragrance  from  the  fresh  verdure,  and  the  birds  almost 
perched  upon  her  shoulders.  She  heard  water  rippling  from 
a  number  of  springs,  all  flowing  into  a  lake  with  golden  sands. 
Bushes  grew  thickly  around  the  lake,  and  at  one  spot  an  open 
ing  had  been  made  by  a  deer,  through  which  Eliza  went  down 
to  the  water.  The  lake  was  so  clear  that,  had  not  the  wind 
rustled  the  branches  of  the  trees  and  the  bushes  so  that  they 
moved,  they  would  have  appeared  as  if  painted  in  the  depths 
of  the  lake,  for  every  leaf  was  reflected  in  the  water,  whether 
it  stood  in  the  shade  or  the  sunshine.  As  soon  as  Eliza  saw  her 
own  face,  she  was  quite  terrified  at  finding  it  so  brown  and 
ugly ;  but  when  she  wetted  her  little  hand  and  rubbed  her  eyes 
and  forehead  the  white  skin  gleamed  forth  once  more ;  and, 
after  she  had  undressed  and  dipped  herself  in  the  fresh  water, 
a  more  beautiful  king's  daughter  could  not  be  found  in  the 
wide  world.  As  soon  as  she  had  dressed  herself  again,  and 
braided  her  long  hair,  she  went  to  the  bubbling  spring  and 
drank  some  water  out  of  the  hollow  of  her  hand.  Then  she 
wandered  far  into  the  forest,  not  knowing  whither  she  went. 
She  thought  of  her  brothers,  and  felt  sure  that  God  would  not 
forsake  her.  It  is  God  who  makes  the  wild  apples  grow  in 
the  wood  to  satisfy  the  hungry,  and  He  now  led  her  to  one  of 
these  trees,  which  was  so  loaded  with  fruit  that  the  boughs 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

bent  beneath  its  weight.  Here  she  held  her  noonday  repast, 
placed  props  under  the  boughs,  and  then  went  into  the  gloom 
iest  depths  of  the  forest.  It  was  so  still  that  she  could  hear 
the  sound  of  her  own  footsteps,  as  well  as  the  rustling  of  every 
withered  leaf  which  she  crushed  under  her  feet.  Not  a  bird 
was  to  be  seen,  not  a  sunbeam  could  penetrate  through  the 
large  dark  boughs  of  the  trees.  The  lofty  trunks  stood  so  close 
together  that  when  she  looked  before  her  it  seemed  as  if  she 
were  inclosed  within  trelliswork.  Such  solitude  she  had  never 
known  before.  The  night  was  very  dark.  Not  a  single  glow 
worm  glittered  in  the  moss. 

Sorrowfully  she  laid  herself  down  to  sleep,  and  after  a 
while  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  the  branches  of  the  trees  parted 
over  her  head,  and  that  the  mild  eyes  of  angels  looked  down 
upon  her  from  heaven.  When  she  awoke  in  the  morning,  she 
knew  not  whether  she  had  dreamed  this  or  if  it  had  really  been 
so.  Then  she  continued  her  wandering,  but  she  had  not  gone 
many  steps  forward  when  she  met  an  old  woman  with  berries 
in  her  basket,  and  begged  a  few  to  eat.  Then  Eliza  asked  her 
if  she  had  seen  eleven  princes  riding  through  the  forest. 

"  No,"  replied  the  old  woman,  "  but  I  saw  yesterday  eleven 
swans,  with  gold  crowns  on  their  heads,  swimming  on  the  river 
close  by."  Then  she  led  Eliza  a  little  distance  farther  to  a 
sloping  bank,  at  the  foot  of  which  wound  a  little  stream.  The 
trees  on  its  banks  stretched  their  long  leafy  branches  across 
the  water  toward  each  other,  and  where  the  growth  prevented 
them  from  meeting  naturally,  the  roots  had  torn  themselves 
away  from  the  ground,  so  that  the  branches  might  mingle  their 
foliage  as  they  hung  over  the  stream.  Eliza  bade  the  old 
woman  farewell  and  walked  by  the  flowing  river  till  she 
reached  the  shore  of  the  open  sea.  And  there  before  the  young 
maiden's  eyes  lay  the  glorious  ocean,  but  not  a  sail  appeared 
on  its  surface ;  not  even  a  boat  could  be  seen.  How  was  she  to 
go  farther?  She  noticed  how  the  countless  pebbles  on  the 
seashore  had  been  smoothed  and  rounded  by  the  action  of  the 
water.  Glass,  iron,  stones,  everything  that  lay  there  mingled 
together,  had  taken  its  shape  from  the  same  power,  and  felt  as 

[242] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

smooth,  or  even  smoother,  than  her  own  delicate  hand.  "  The 
water  rolls  on  without  weariness,"  she  said,  "  till  all  that  is 
hard  becomes  smooth;  so  will  I  be  unwearied  in  my  task. 
Thanks  for  your  lessons,  bright  rolling  waves ;  my  heart  tells 
me  you  will  lead  me  to  my  dear  brothers."  On  the  foam- 
covered  seaweeds  lay  eleven  white  swan  feathers,  which  she 
gathered  up  and  placed  together.  Drops  of  water  lay  upon 
them ;  whether  they  were  dewdrops  or  tears  no  one  could  say. 
Lonely  as  it  was  on  the  seashore  she  did  not  observe  it,  for 
the  ever-moving  sea  showed  more  changes  in  a  few  hours  than 
the  most  varying  lake  could  produce  during  a  whole  year.  If 
a  black  heavy  cloud  arose,  it  was  as  if  the  sea  said,  "  I  can 
look  dark  and  angry  too  " ;  and  then  the  wind  blew,  and  the 
waves  turned  to  white  foam  as  they  rolled.  When  the  wind 
slept  and  the  clouds  glowed  with  the  red  sunlight,  then  the 
sea  looked  like  a  rose  leaf.  But  however  quietly  its  white 
glassy  surface  rested,  there  was  still  a  motion  on  the  shore,  as 
its  waves  rose  and  fell  like  the  breast  of  a  sleeping  child. 
When  the  sun  was  about  to  set,  Eliza  saw  eleven  white  swans 
with  golden  crowns  on  their  heads  flying  toward  the  land,  one 
behind  the  other,  like  a  long  white  ribbon.  Then  Eliza  went 
down  the  slope  from  the  shore  and  hid  herself  behind  the 
bushes.  The  swans  alighted  quite  close  to  her,  and  flapped 
their  great  white  wings.  As  soon  as  the  sun  had  disappeared 
under  the  water,  the  feathers  of  the  swans  fell  off,  and  eleven 
beautiful  princes,  Eliza's  brothers,  stood  near  her.  She  uttered 
a  loud  cry,  for,  although  they  were  very  much  changed,  she 
knew  them  immediately.  She  sprang  into  their  arms  and  called 
them  each  by  name.  Then,  how  happy  the  princes  were  at 
meeting  their  little  sister  again !  for  they  recognized  her,  al 
though  she  had  grown  so  tall  and  beautiful.  They  laughed 
and  they  wept,  and  very  soon  understood  how  wickedly  their 
mother  had  acted  to  them  all.  "  We  brothers,"  said  the  eldest, 
"  fly  about  as  wild  swans  so  long  as  the  sun  is  in  the  sky,  but 
as  soon  as  it  sinks  behind  the  hills,  we  recover  our  human 
shape.  Therefore  must  we  always  be  near  a  resting  place  for 
our  feet  before  sunset ;  for  if  we  should  be  flying  toward  the 

[243] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

clouds  at  the  time  we  recovered  our  natural  form  as  men,  we 
should  fall  deep  into  the  sea.  We  do  not  dwell  here,  but  in  a 
land  just  as  fair,  that  lies  beyond  the  ocean,  which  we  have  to 
cross  for  a  long  distance ;  there  is  no  island  in  our  passage 
upon  which  we  could  pass  the  night ;  nothing  but  a  little  rock 
rising  out  of  the  sea,  upon  which  we  can  scarcely  stand  with 
safety,  even  closely  crowded  together.  If  the  sea  is  rough,  the 
foam  dashes  over  us,  yet  we  thank  God  even  for  this  rock ;  we 
have  passed  whole  nights  upon  it,  or  we  should  never  have 
reached  our  beloved  fatherland,  for  our  flight  across  the  sea 
occupies  two  of  the  longest  days  in  the  year.  We  have  per 
mission  to  visit  our  home  once  in  every  year  and  to  remain 
eleven  days,  during  which  we  fly  across  the  forest  to  look  once 
more  at  the  palace  where  our  father  dwells  and  where  we 
were  born,  and  at  the  church  where  our  mother  lies  buried. 
Here  it  seems  as  if  the  very  trees  and  bushes  were  related  to 
us.  The  wild  horses  leap  over  the  plains  as  we  have  seen  them 
in  our  childhood.  The  charcoal  burners  sing  the  old  songs  to 
which  we  have  danced  as  children.  This  is  our  fatherland  to 
which  we  are  drawn  by  loving  ties ;  and  here  we  have  found 
you,  our  dear  little  sister.  Two  days  longer  we  can  remain 
here,  and  then  must  we  fly  away  to  a  beautiful  land  which  is 
not  our  home ;  and  how  can  we  take  you  with  us  ?  We  have 
neither  ship  nor  boat." 

"  How  can  I  break  this  spell  ?  "  said  their  sister.  And  then 
she  talked  about  it  nearly  the  whole  night,  only  slumbering  for 
a  few  hours.  Eliza  was  awakened  by  the  rustling  of  the 
swans'  wings  as  they  soared  above.  Her  brothers  were  again 
changed  to  swans,  and  they  flew  in  circles  wider  and  wider 
till  they  were  far  away ;  but  one  of  them,  the  youngest  swan, 
remained  behind  and  laid  his  head  in  his  sister's  lap,  while 
she  stroked  his  wings,  and  they  remained  together  the  whole 
day.  Toward  evening  the  rest  came  back,  and  as  the  sun  went 
down  they  resumed  their  natural  forms.  "  To-morrow,"  said 
one,  "  we  shall  fly  away,  not  to  return  again  till  a  whole  year 
has  passed.  But  we  cannot  leave  you  here.  Have  you  courage 
to  go  with  us  ?  My  arm  is  strong  enough  to  carry  you  through 

[244] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

the  wood ;  and  will  not  all  our  wings  be  strong  enough  to  fly 
with  you  over  the  sea  ?  " 

"  Yes,  take  me  with  you/'  said  Eliza.  Then  they  spent  the 
whole  night  in  weaving  a  net  with  the  pliant  willow  and  rushes. 
It  was  very  large  and  strong.  Eliza  laid  herself  down  on  the 
net,  and  when  the  sun  rose  and  her  brothers  again  became  wild 
swans,  they  took  up  the  net  with  their  beaks  and  flew  up  to  the 
clouds  with  their  dear  sister,  who  still  slept.  The  sunbeams 
fell  on  her  face,  therefore  one  of  the  swans  soared  over  her 
head,  so  that  his  broad  wing  might  shade  her.  They  were 
far  from  the  land  when  Eliza  woke.  She  thought  she  must  still 
be  dreaming,  it  seemed  so  strange  to  her  to  feel  herself  being 
carried  so  high  in  the  air  over  the  sea.  By  her  side  lay  a 
branch  full  of  beautiful  ripe  berries  and  a  bundle  of  sweet  roots  ; 
the  youngest  of  her  brothers  had  gathered  them  for  her,  and 
placed  them  by  her  side.  She  smiled  her  thanks  to  him ;  she 
knew  it  was  the  same  who  had  hovered  over  her  to  shade  her 
with  his  wings.  They  were  now  so  high  that  a  large  ship 
beneath  them  looked  like  a  white  sea  gull  skimming  the  waves. 
A  great  cloud  floating  behind  them  appeared  like  a  vast  moun 
tain,  and  upon  it  Eliza  saw  her  own  shadow  and  those  of  the 
eleven  swans,  looking  gigantic  in  size.  Altogether  it  formed  a 
more  beautiful  picture  than  she  had  ever  seen ;  but  as  the  sun 
rose  higher,  and  the  clouds  were  left  behind,  the  shadowy  pic 
ture  vanished  away.  Onward  the  whole  day  they  flew  through 
the  air  like  a  winged  arrow,  yet  more  slowly  than  usual,  for 
they  had  their  sister  to  carry.  The  weather  seemed  inclined  to 
be  stormy,  and  Eliza  watched  the  sinking  sun  with  great  anx 
iety,  for  the  little  rock  in  the  ocean  was  not  yet  in  sight.  It 
appeared  to  her  as  if  the  swans  were  making  great  efforts  with 
their  wings.  Alas !  she  was  the  cause  of  their  not  advancing 
more  quickly.  When  the  sun  set  they  would  change  to  men, 
fall  into  the  sea,  and  be  drowned.  Then  she  offered  a  prayer 
from  her  inmost  heart,  but  still  no  appearance  of  the  rock. 
Dark  clouds  came  nearer,  the  gusts  of  wind  told  of  a  coming 
storm,  while  from  a  thick,  heavy  mass  of  clouds  the  lightning 
burst  forth  flash  after  flash.  The  sun  had  reached  the  edge  of 

[245] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  sea,  when  the  swans  darted  down  so  swiftly  that  Eliza's 
head  trembled ;  she  believed  they  were  falling,  but  they  again 
soared  onward.  Presently  she  caught  sight  of  the  rock  just 
below  them,  and  by  this  time  the  sun  was  half  hidden  by  the 
waves.  The  rock  did  not  appear  larger  than  a  seal's  head 
thrust  out  of  the  water.  They  sank  so  rapidly  that  at  the 
moment  their  feet  touched  the  rock  the  sun  shone  only  like  a 
star,  and  at  last  disappeared  like  the  last  spark  in  a  piece  of 
burned  paper.  Then  she  saw  her  brothers  standing  closely 
around  her  with  their  arms  linked  together.  There  was  but 
just  room  enough  for  them,  and  not  the  smallest  space  to  spare. 
The  sea  dashed  against  the  rock  and  covered  them  with  spray. 
The  heavens  were  lighted  up  with  continual  flashes,  and  peal 
after  peal  of  thunder  rolled.  But  the  sister  and  brothers  sat 
holding  each  other's  hands  and  singing  hymns,  from  which 
they  gained  hope  and  courage.  In  the  early  dawn  the  air 
became  calm  and  still,  and  at  sunrise  the  swans  flew  away 
from  the  rock  with  Eliza.  The  sea  was  still  rough,  and  from 
their  high  position  in  the  air  the  white  foam  on  the  dark  green 
waves  looked  like  millions  of  swans  swimming  on  the  water. 
As  the  sun  rose  higher  Eliza  saw  before  her,  floating  in  the  air, 
a  range  of  mountains  with  shining  masses  of  ice  on  their  sum 
mits.  In  the  center  rose  a  castle  apparently  a  mile  long,  with 
rows  of  columns  rising  one  above  another,  while  around  it 
palm  trees  waved  and  flowers  bloomed  as  large  as  mill  wheels. 
She  asked  if  this  was  the  land  to  which  they  were  hastening. 
The  swans  shook  their  heads,  for  what  she  beheld  were  the 
beautiful  ever-changing  cloud  palaces  of  the  "  Fata  Mor 
gana,"  into  which  no  mortal  can  enter.  Eliza  was  still  gazing 
at  the  scene  when  mountains,  forests,  and  castles  melted  away, 
and  twenty  stately  churches  rose  in  their  stead,  with  high 
towers  and  pointed  Gothic  windows.  Eliza  even  fancied  she 
could  hear  the  tones  of  the  organ,  but  it  was  the  music  of  the 
murmuring  sea  which  she  heard.  As  they  drew  nearer  to  the 
churches,  these  also  changed  into  a  fleet  of  ships,  which  seemed 
to  be  sailing  beneath  her ;  but  as  she  looked  again,  she  found  it 
was  only  a  sea  mist  gliding  over  the  ocean.  So  there  continued 

[246] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

to  pass  before  her  eyes  a  constant  change  of  scene,  till  at 
last  she  saw  the  real  land  to  which  they  were  bound,  with  its 
blue  mountains,  its  cedar  forests,  and  its  cities  and  palaces. 
Long  before  the  sun  went  down  she  sat  on  a  rock  in  front 
of  a  large  cave,  on  the  floor  of  which  the  overgrown  yet  deli 
cate  green  creeping  plants  looked  like  an  embroidered  carpet. 
"  Now  we  shall  expect  to  hear  what  you  dream  of  to-night," 
said  the  youngest  brother,  as  he  showed  his  sister  her  bed 
room. 

"  Heaven  grant  that  I  may  dream  how  to  save  you !  "  she 
replied.  And  this  thought  took  such  hold  upon  her  mind  that 
she  prayed  earnestly  to  God  for  help,  and  even  in  her  sleep 
she  continued  to  pray.  Then  it  appeared  to  her  as  if  she  were 
flying  high  in  the  air,  toward  the  cloudy  palace  of  the  "  Fata 
Morgana,"  and  a  fairy  came  out  to  meet  her,  radiant  and  beau 
tiful  in  appearance,  and  yet  very  much  like  the  old  woman 
who  had  given  her  berries  in  the  wood,  and  who  had  told 
her  of  the  swans  with  golden  crowns  on  their  heads.  ''  Your 
brothers  can  be  released,"  said  she,  "  if  you  have  only  courage 
and  perseverance.  True,  water  is  softer  than  your  own  deli 
cate  hands,  and  yet  it  polishes  stones  into  shapes ;  it  feels  no 
pain  as  your  ringers  would  feel,  it  has  no  soul,  and  cannot 
suffer  such  agony  and  torment  as  you  will  have  to  endure.  Do 
you  see  the  stinging  nettle  which  I  hold  in  my  hand?  Quan 
tities  o*  the  same  sort  grow  around  the  cave  in  which  you  sleep, 
but  none  will  be  of  any  use  to  you  unless  they  grow  upon  the 
graves  in  a  churchyard.  These  you  must  gather  even  while 
they  burn  blisters  on  your  hands.  Break  them  to  pieces  with 
your  hands  and  feet,  and  they  will  become  flax,  from  which 
you  must  spin  and  weave  eleven  coats  with  long  sleeves ;  if 
these  are  then  thrown  over  the  eleven  swans  the  spell  will  be 
broken.  But  remember,  that  from  the  moment  you  commence 
your  task  until  it  is  finished,  even  should  it  occupy  years  of 
your  life,  you  must  not  speak.  The  first  word  you  utter  will 
pierce  through  the  hearts  of  your  brothers  like  a  deadly  dag 
ger.  Their  lives  hang  upon  your  tongue.  Remember  all  I 
have  told  you."  And  as  she  finished  speaking,  she  touched 

[247] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

her  hand  lightly  with  the  nettle,  and  a  pain  as  of  burning  fire 
awoke  Eliza. 

It  was  broad  daylight,  and  close  by  where  she  had  been 
sleeping  lay  a  nettle  like  the  one  she  had  seen  in  her  dream. 
She  fell  on  her  knees  and  offered  her  thanks  to  God.  Then 
she  went  forth  from  the  cave  to  begin  her  work  with  her  deli 
cate  hands.  She  groped  in  among  the  ugly  nettles,  which 
burned  great  blisters  on  her  hands  and  arms,  but  she  deter 
mined  to  bear  it  gladly  if  she  could  only  release  her  dear 
brothers.  So  she  bruised  the  nettles  with  her  bare  feet  and 
spun  the  flax.  At  sunset  her  brothers  returned  and  were  very 
much  frightened  when  they  found  her  dumb.  They  believed 
it  to  be  some  new  sorcery  of  their  wicked  stepmother.  But 
when  they  saw  her  hands  they  understood  what  she  was  doing 
on  their  behalf,  and  the  youngest  brother  wept,  and  where 
his  tears  fell  the  pain  ceased  and  the  burning  blisters  vanished. 
She  kept  at  her  work  all  night,  for  she  could  not  rest  till  she 
had  released  her  dear  brothers.  During  the  whole  of  the  fol 
lowing  day,  while  her  brothers  were  absent,  she  sat  in  solitude, 
but  never  before  had  the  time  flown  so  quickly.  One  coat 
was  already  finished  and  she  had  begun  the  second  when  she 
heard  a  huntsman's  horn  and  was  struck  with  fear.  The 
sound  came  nearer  and  nearer;  she  heard  the  dogs  barking, 
and  fled  with  terror  into  the  cave.  She  hastily  bound  together 
the  nettles  she  had  gathered  into  a  bundle  and  sat  upon  them. 
Immediately  a  great  dog  came  bounding  toward  her  out  of  the 
ravine,  and  then  another  and  another ;  they  barked  loudly,  ran 
back,  and  then  came  again.  In  a  very  few  minutes  all  the 
huntsmen  stood  before  the  cave,  and  the  handsomest  of  them 
was  the  King  of  the  country.  He  advanced  toward  her,  for  he 
had  never  seen  a  more  beautiful  maiden. 

"  How  did  you  come  here,  my  sweet  child  ?  "  he  asked.  But 
Eliza  shook  her  head.  She  dared  not  speak,  at  the  cost  of  her 
brothers'  lives.  And  she  hid  her  hands  under  her  apron,  so 
that  the  King  might  not  see  how  she  must  be  suffering. 

"  Come  with  me,"  he  said ;  "  here  you  cannot  remain.  If 
you  are  as  good  as  you  are  beautiful,  I  will  dress  you  in  silk 

248] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

and  velvet,  I  will  place  a  golden  crown  on  your  head,  and  you 
shall  dwell  and  rule  and  make  your  home  in  my  richest  castle." 
And  then  he  lifted  her  on  his  horse.  She  wept  and  wrung  her 
hands,  but  the  King  said  :  "  I  wish  only  your  happiness.  A  time 
will  come  when  you  will  thank  me  for  this."  And  then  he  gal 
loped  away  over  the  mountains,  holding  her  before  him  on  his 
horse,  and  the  hunters  followed  behind  them.  As  the  sun  went 
down  they  approached  a  fair,  royal  city,  with  churches  and 
cupolas.  On  arriving  at  the  castle  the  King  led  her  into  marble 
halls  where  large  fountains  played,  and  where  the  walls  and 
the  ceilings  were  covered  with  rich  paintings.  But  she  had 
no  eyes  for  all  these  glorious  sights  ;  she  could  only  mourn  and 
weep.  Patiently  she  allowed  the  women  to  array  her  in  royal 
robes,  to  weave  pearls  in  her  hair,  and  draw  soft  gloves  over 
her  blistered  fingers.  As  she  stood  before  them  in  all  her  rich 
dress,  she  looked  so  dazzlingly  beautiful  that  the  court  bowed 
low  in  her  presence.  Then  the  King  declared  his  intention  of 
making  her  his  bride,  but  the  archbishop  shook  his  head,  and 
whispered  that  the  fair  young  maiden  was  only  a  witch  who 
had  blinded  the  King's  eyes  and  enchanted  his  heart.  But  the 
King  would  not  listen  to  this ;  he  ordered  the  music  to  sound, 
the  daintiest  dishes  to  be  served,  and  the  loveliest  maidens  to 
dance.  Afterwards  he  led  her  through  fragrant  gardens  and 
lofty  halls,  but  not  a  smile  appeared  on  her  lips  or  sparkled  in 
her  eyes.  She  looked  the  very  picture  of  grief.  Then  the 
King  opened  the  door  of  a  little  chamber  in  which  she  was  to 
sleep ;  it  was  adorned  with  rich  green  tapestry,  and  resembled 
the  cave  in  which  he  had  found  her.  On  the  floor  lay  the 
bundle  of  flax  which  she  had  spun  from  the  nettles,  and  under 
the  ceiling  hung  the  coat  she  had  made.  These  things  had 
been  brought  away  from  the  cave  as  curiosities  by  one  of  the 
huntsmen. 

"  Here  you  can  dream  yourself  back  again  in  the  old  home 
in  the  cave,"  said  the  King ;  "  here  is  the  work  with  which  you 
employed  yourself.  It  will  amuse  you  now  in  the  midst  of  all 
this  splendor  to  think  of  that  time." 

When  Eliza  saw  all  these  things  which  lay  so  near  her  heart, 

[249] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

a  smile  played  around  her  mouth  and  the  crimson  blood  rushed 
to  her  cheeks.  She  thought  of  her  brothers,  and  their  release 
made  her  so  joyful  that  she  kissed  the  King's  hand.  Then  he 
pressed  her  to  his  heart.  Very  soon  the  joyous  church  bells 
announced  the  marriage  feast,  and  that  the  beautiful  dumb  girl 
out  of  the  wood  was  to  be  made  Queen  of  the  country. 
Then  the  archbishop  whispered  wicked  words  in  the  King's 
ear,  but  they  did  not  sink  into  his  heart.  The  marriage  was 
still  to  take  place,  and  the  archbishop  himself  had  to  place  the 
crown  on  the  bride's  head ;  in  his  wicked  spite  he  pressed  the 
narrow  circlet  so  tightly  on  her  forehead  that  it  caused  her 
pain.  But  a  heavier  weight  encircled  her  heart — sorrow  for 
her  brothers.  She  felt  not  bodily  pain.  Her  mouth  was  closed ; 
a  single  word  would  cost  her  brothers  their  lives.  But  she 
loved  the  kind,  handsome  King,  who  did  everything  to  make 
her  happy,  more  and  more  each  day ;  she  loved  him  with  her 
whole  heart,  and  her  eyes  beamed  with  the  love  she  dared  not 
speak.  Oh,  if  she  had  only  been  able  to  confide  in  him  and 
tell  him  of  her  grief !  But  dumb  she  must  remain  till  her  task 
was  finished.  Therefore  at  night  she  crept  away  into  her  little 
chamber,  which  had  been  decked  out  to  look  like  the  cave, 
and  quickly  wove  one  coat  after  another.  But  when  she  began 
the  seventh  she  found  she  had  no  more  flax.  She  knew  that 
the  nettles  she  wanted  to  use  grew  in  the  churchyard,  and  that 
she  must  pluck  them  herself.  How  should  she  get  out  there? 
"  Oh,  what  is  the  pain  in  my  fingers  to  the  torment  which  my 
heart  endures  ?  "  said  she.  "  I  must  venture ;  I  shall  not  be 
denied  help  from  heaven."  Then  with  a  trembling  heart,  as  if 
she  were  about  to  perform  a  wicked  deed,  she  crept  into  the 
garden  in  the  broad  moonlight,  and  passed  through  the  narrow 
walks  and  the  deserted  streets  till  she  reached  the  churchyard. 
Then  she  saw  on  one  of  the  broad  tombstones  a  group  of 
ghouls.  These  hideous  creatures  took  off  their  rags,  as  if  they 
intended  to  bathe,  and  then,  clawing  open  the  grassy  graves 
with  their  long  skinny  fingers,  pulled  out  the  bones  and  threw 
them  about !  Eliza  had  to  pass  close  by  them,  and  they  fixed 
their  wicked  glances  upon  her,  but  she  prayed  silently,  gath- 

[250] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

ered  the  burning  nettles,  and  carried  them  home  with  her  to  the 
castle.  One  person  only  had  seen  her,  and  that  was  the  arch 
bishop — he  was  awake  while  everybody  was  asleep.  Now  he 
thought  his  opinion  was  evidently  correct.  All  was  not  right 
with  the  Queen.  She  was  a  witch,  and  had  enchanted  the  King 
and  all  the  people.  Secretly  he  told  the  King  what  he  had 
seen  and  what  he  feared,  and  as  the  hard  words  came  from  his 
tongue,  the  carved  images  of  the  saints  shook  their  heads  as 
if  they  would  say,  "  It  is  not  so.  Eliza  is  innocent." 

But  the  archbishop  interpreted  it  in  another  way ;  he  be 
lieved  that  they  witnessed  against  her,  and  were  shaking  their 
heads  at  her  wickedness.  Two  large  tears  rolled  down  the 
King's  cheeks,  and  he  went  home  with  doubt  in  his  heart,  and 
at  night  pretended  to  sleep,  but  there  came  no  real  sleep  to  his 
eyes,  for  he  saw  Eliza  get  up  every  night  and  disappear  in  her 
own  chamber.  From  day  to  day  his  brow  became  darker, 
and  Eliza  saw  it  and  did  not  understand  the  reason,  but  it 
alarmed  her  and  made  her  heart  tremble  for  her  brothers. 
Her  hot  tears  glittered  like  pearls-  on  the  regal  velvet  and  dia 
monds,  while  all  who  saw  her  were  wishing  they  could  be 
queens.  In  the  meantime  she  had  almost  finished  her  task ; 
only  one  coat  of  mail  was  wanting,  but  she  had  no  flax  left, 
and  not  a  single  nettle.  Once  more  only,  and  for  the  last  time, 
must  she  venture  to  the  churchyard  and  pluck  a  few  handfuls. 
She  thought  with  terror  of  the  solitary  walk,  and  of  the  hor 
rible  ghouls,  but  her  will  was  firm,  as  well  as  her  trust  in 
Providence.  Eliza  went,  and  the  King  and  the  archbishop  fol 
lowed  her.  They  saw  her  vanish  through  the  wicket  gate  into 
the  churchyard,  and  when  they  came  nearer  they  saw  the 
ghouls  sitting  on  the  tombstone  as  Eliza  had  seen  them,  and 
the  King  turned  away  his  head,  for  he  thought  she  was  with 
them — she  whose  head  had  rested  on  his  breast  that  very  even 
ing.  ''  The  people  must  condemn  her,"  said  he,  and  she  was 
very  quickly  condemned  by  everyone  to  suffer  death  by  fire. 
Away  from  the  gorgeous  regal  halls  was  she  led  to  a  dark, 
dreary  cell,  where  the  wind  whistled  through  the  iron  bars. 
Instead  of  the  velvet  and  silk  dresses,  they  gave  her  the  coats 

[251] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

of  mail  which  she  had  woven  to  cover  her,  and  the  bundle  of 
nettles  for  a  pillow ;  but  nothing  they  could  give  her  would  have 
pleased  her  more.  She  continued  her  task  with  joy,  and 
prayed  for  help,  while  the  street  boys  sang  jeering  songs  about 
her,  and  not  a  soul  comforted  her  with  a  kind  word.  Toward 
evening  she  heard  at  the  grating  the  flutter  of  a  swan's  wing ; 
it  was  her  youngest  brother — he  had  found  his  sister,  and  she 
sobbed  for  joy,  although  she  knew  that  very  likely  this  would 
be  the  last  night  she  would  have  to  live.  But  still  she  could 
hope,  for  her  task  was  almost  finished  and  her  brothers  were 
come.  Then  the  archbishop  arrived,  to  be  with  her  during  her 
last  hours,  as  he  had  promised  the  King.  But  she  shook  her 
head,  and  begged  him,  by  looks  and  gestures,  not  to  stay, 
for  in  this  night  she  knew  she  must  finish  her  task,  otherwise 
all  her  pain  and  tears  and  sleepless  nights  would  have  been 
suffered  in  vain.  The  archbishop  withdrew,  uttering  bitter 
words  against  her ;  but  poor  Eliza  knew  that  she  was  innocent, 
and  diligently  continued  her  work. 

The  little  mice  ran  about  the  floor ;  they  dragged  the  nettles 
to  her  feet,  to  help  as  well  as  they  could,  and  the  thrush  sat 
outside  the  grating  of  the  window  and  sang  to  her  the  whole 
night  long,  as  sweetly  as  possible,  to  keep  up  her  spirits. 

It  was  still  twilight  and  at  least  an  hour  before  sunrise  when 
the  eleven  brothers  stood  at  the  castle  gate  and  demanded  to  be 
brought  before  the  King.  They  were  told  it  could  not  be,  it 
was  yet  almost  night,  and  as  the  King  slept  they  dared  not 
disturb  him.  They  threatened,  they  entreated.  Then  the 
guard  appeared,  and  even  the  King  himself,  inquiring  what  all 
the  noise  meant.  At  this  moment  the  sun  rose.  The  eleven 
brothers  were  seen  no  more,  but  eleven  wild  swans  flew  away 
over  the  castle. 

And  now  all  the  people  came  streaming  forth  from  the  gates 
of  the  city  to  see  the  witch  burned.  An  old  horse  drew  the  cart 
on  which  she  sat.  They  had  dressed  her  in  a  garment  of  coarse 
sackcloth.  Her  lovely  hair  hung  loose  on  her  shoulders,  her 
cheeks  were  deadly  pale,  her  lips  moved  silently,  while  her 
fingers  still  worked  at  the  green  flax.  Even  on  the  way  to 

[252] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

death  she  would  not  give  up  her  task.  The  ten  coats  of  mail 
lay  at  her  feet,  she  was  working  hard  at  the  eleventh,  while 
the  mob  jeered  her  and  said,  "  See  the  witch,  how  she  mutters ! 
She  has  no  hymn  book  in  her  hand.  She  sits  there  with  her 
ugly  sorcery.  Let  us  tear  it  in  a  thousand  pieces." 

And  then  they  pressed  toward  her,  and  would  have  de 
stroyed  the  coats  of  mail,  but  at  the  same  moment  eleven  wild 
swans  flew  over  her  and  alighted  on  the  cart.  Then  they 
flapped  their  large  wings  and  the  crowd  drew  on  one  side  in 
alarm. 

"  It  is  a  sign  from  heaven  that  she  is  innocent,"  whispered 
many  of  them,  but  they  ventured  not  to  say  it  aloud. 

As  the  executioner  seized  her  by  the  hand  to  lift  her  out  of 
the  cart,  she  hastily  threw  the  eleven  coats  of  mail  over  the 
swans,  and  they  immediately  became  eleven  handsome  princes ; 
but  the  youngest  had  a  swan's  wing  instead  of  an  arm,  for  she 
had  not  been  able  to  finish  the  last  sleeve  of  the  coat. 

"  Now  I  may  speak !  "  she  exclaimed.    "  I  am  innocent." 

Then  the  people,  who  saw  what  happened,  bowed  to  her  as 
before  a  saint,  but  she  sank  lifeless  in  her  brother's  arms,  over 
come  with  suspense,  anguish,  and  pain. 

"  Yes,  she  is  innocent,"  said  the  eldest  brother ;  and  then  he 
related  all  that  had  taken  place,  and  while  he  spoke  there  rose 
in  the  air  a  fragrance  as  from  millions  of  flowers.  Every  piece 
of  fagot  in  the  pile  had  taken  root,  and  thrown  out  branches, 
and  appeared  a  thick  hedge,  large  and  high,  covered  with 
roses,  while  above  all  bloomed  a  white  and  shining  blossom  that 
glittered  like  a  star.  This  flower  the  King  plucked  and  placed 
in  Eliza's  bosom,  when  she  awoke  from  her  swoon  with  peace 
and  happiness  in  her  heart.  And  all  the  church  bells  rang  of 
themselves  and  the  birds  came  in  great  troops.  And  a  mar 
riage  procession  returned  to  the  castle  such  as  no  king  had 
ever  before  seen. 


[253 


THE    FAIRY   RING 
The    Story   of  Coquerico 

X^vNCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  handsome  hen  who  lived 
I  i  like  a  great  lady  in  the  poultry  yard  of  a  rich  farm- 
v-X  er,  surrounded  by  a  numerous  family  that  clucked 
about  her,  and  none  of  which  clamored  more  loudly  or  picked 
up  the  corn  faster  with  his  beak  than  a  poor  little  deformed 
and  crippled  chicken.  This  was  precisely  the  one  that  the 
mother  loved  best.  It  is  the  way  with  all  mothers ;  the  weakest 
and  most  unsightly  are  always  their  favorites.  This  misshapen 
creature  had  but  one  eye,  one  wing,  and  one  leg  in  good 
condition;  it  might  have  been  thought  that  Solomon  had 
executed  his  memorable  sentence  on  Coquerico,  for  that  was 
the  name  of  the  wretched  chicken,  and  cut  him  in  two  with 
his  famous  sword.  When  a  person  is  one-eyed,  lame,  and 
one-armed,  he  may  reasonably  be  expected  to  be  modest ; 
but  our  Castilian  ragamuffin  was  prouder  than  his  father,  the 
best  spurred,  most  elegant,  bravest,  and  most  gallant  cock  to 
be  seen  from  Burgos  to  Madrid.  He  thought  himself  a 
phoenix  of  grace  and  beauty,  and  passed  the  best  part  of  the 
day  in  admiring  himself  in  the  brook.  If  one  of  his  brothers 
ran  against  him  by  accident,  he  abused  him,  called  him  en 
vious  and  jealous,  and  risked  his  only  remaining  eye  in 
battle;  if  the  hens  clucked  on  seeing  him,  he  said  it  was 
to  hide  their  spite  because  he  did  not  condescend  to  look  at 
them. 

One  day,  when  he  was  more  puffed  up  with  vanity  than 
usual,  he  resolved  no  longer  to  remain  in  such  a  narrow  sphere, 
but  to  go  out  into  the  world,  where  he  would  be  better  ap 
preciated. 

"  My  lady  mother,"  said  he,  "  I  am  tired  of  Spain ;  I  am 
going  to  Rome  to  see  the  Pope  and  cardinals." 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of,  my  poor  child !  "  cried  his 
mother.  "  Who  has  put  such  a  folly  into  your  head  ?  Never 
has  one  of  our  family  been  known  to  quit  his  country,  and, 
for  this  reason,  we  are  the  honor  of  our  race,  and  are  proud 

[254] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

of  our  genealogy.  Where  will  you  find  a  poultry  yard  like 
this — mulberry  trees  to  shade  you,  a  whitewashed  hen  roost, 
a  magnificent  dunghill,  worms  and  corn  everywhere,  brothers 
that  love  you,  and  three  great  dogs  to  guard  you  from  the 
foxes?  Do  you  not  think  that  at  Rome  itself  you  will  regret 
the  ease  and  plenty  of  such  a  life?  " 

Coquerico  shrugged  his  crippled  wing  in  token  of  disdain. 
"  You  are  a  simple  woman,  my  good  mother,"  said  he ;  "  every 
thing  is  accounted  worthy  of  admiration  by  him  who  has 
never  quitted  his  dunghill.  But  I  have  wit  enough  to  see 
that  my  brothers  have  no  ideas,  and  that  my  cousins  are 
nothing  but  rustics.  My  genius  is  stifling  in  this  hole ;  I  wish 
to  roam  the  world  and  seek  my  fortune." 

"But,  my  son,  have  you  never  looked  in  the  brook?"  re 
sumed  the  poor  hen.  "  Don't  you  know  that  you  lack  an  eye, 
a  leg,  and  a  wing?  To  make  your  fortune,  you  need  the  eyes 
of  a  fox,  the  legs  of  a  spider,  and  the  wings  of  a  vulture. 
Once  outside  of  these  walls,  you  are  lost." 

"  My  good  mother,"  replied  Coquerico,  "  when  a  hen 
hatches  a  duck,  she  is  always  frightened  on  seeing  it  run 
to  the  water.  You  know  me  no  better.  It  is  my  nature  to 
succeed  by  my  wit  and  talent.  I  must  have  a  public  capable 
of  appreciating  the  charms  of  my  person ;  my  place  is  not 
among  inferior  people." 

"  My  son,"  said  the  hen,  seeing  all  her  counsels  useless, 
"  my  son,  listen  at  least  to  your  mother's  last  words.  If  you 
go  to  Rome,  take  care  to  avoid  St.  Peter's  Church;  the 
saint,  it  is  said,  dislikes  cocks,  especially  when  they  crow. 
Shun,  moreover,  certain  personages  called  cooks  and  scul 
lions  ;  you  will  know  them  by  their  paper  caps,  their  tucked-up 
sleeves,  and  the  great  knives  which  they  wear  at  their  sides. 
They  are  licensed  assassins,  who  track  our  steps  without  pity, 
and  cut  our  throats  without  giving  us  time  to  cry  mercy.  And 
now,  my  child,"  she  added,  raising  her  claw,  "  receive  my 
blessing.  May  St.  James,  the  patron  saint  of  pilgrims,  protect 
thee !  " 

Coquerico  pretended  not  to  see  the  tear  that  trembled  in 

[255] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

his  mother's  eye,  nor  did  he  trouble  himself  any  more  about 
his  father,  who  bristled  his  plumage  and  seemed  about  to  call 
him  back.  Without  caring  for  those  whom  he  left  behind,  he 
glided  through  the  half -open  door,  and,  once  outside,  flapped 
his  only  wing  and  crowed  three  times,  to  celebrate  his  free 
dom — "  Cock-a-doodle-doo !  " 

As  he  half-flew,  half-hopped  over  the  fields,  he  came  to  the 
bed  of  a  brook  which  had  been  dried  up  by  the  sun.  In  the 
middle  of  the  sands,  however,  still  trickled  a  tiny  thread  of 
water,  so  small  that  it  was  choked  by  a  couple  of  dead  leaves 
that  had  fallen  into  it. 

"  My  friend,"  exclaimed  the  Streamlet  at  the  sight  of  our 
traveler,  "  my  friend,  you  see  my  weakness ;  I  have  not  even 
the  strength  to  carry  away  these  leaves  which  obstruct  my 
passage,  much  less  to  make  a  circuit,  so  completely  am  I 
exhausted.  With  a  stroke  of  your  beak  you  can  restore  me 
to  life.  I  am  not  an  ingrate ;  if  you  oblige  me,  you  may  count 
on  my  gratitude  the  first  rainy  day,  when  the* water  from 
heaven  shall  have  restored  my  strength/' 

"You  are  jesting?"  said  Coquerico.  "Do  I  look  like  one 
whose  business  it  is  to  sweep  the  brooks?  Apply  to  those 
of  your  own  sort."  And,  with  his  sound  leg,  he  leaped  across 
the  Streamlet. 

"  You  will  remember  me  when  you  least  expect  it,"  mur 
mured  the  Brook,  but  with  so  feeble  a  voice  that  it  was  lost 
on  the  proud  cock. 

A  little  farther  on,  Coquerico  saw  the  Wind  lying  breathless 
on  the  ground. 

"  Dear  Coquerico,  come  to  my  aid,"  it  cried ;  "  here  on 
earth  we  should  help  each  other.  You  see  to  what  I  am 
reduced  by  the  heat  of  the  day;  I,  who  in  former  times 
uprooted  the  olive  trees  and  lashed  the  waves  to  frenzy,  lie 
here  well  nigh  slain  by  the  dog  star.  I  suffered  myself  to 
be  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  perfume  of  the  roses  with  which  I 
was  playing ;  and  lo !  here  I  am,  stretched  almost  lifeless  upon 
the  ground.  If  you  will  raise  me  a  couple  of  inches  with 
your  beak  and  fan  me  a  little  with  your  wing,  I  shall  have 

[256] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  strength  to  mount  to  yonder  white  clouds  which  I  see  in 
the  distance,  where  I  shall  receive  aid  enough  from  my 
family  to  keep  me  alive  till  I  gain  fresh  strength  from  the 
next  whirlwind. 

"  My  lord,"  answered  the  spiteful  Coquerico,  "  your  excel 
lency  has  more  than  once  amused  himself  by  playing  tricks 
at  my  expense.  It  is  not  a  week  since  your  lordship  glided 
like  a  traitor  behind  me,  and  diverted  himself  by  opening  my 
tail  like  a  fan  and  covering  me  with  confusion  in  the  face  of 
nations.  Have  patience,  therefore,  my  worthy  friend ;  mock 
ers  always  have  their  turn ;  it  does  them  good  to  repent,  and 
to  learn  to  respect  those  whose  birth,  wit,  and  beauty  should 
screen  them  from  the  jests  of  a  fool."  And  Coquerico,  brist 
ling  his  plumage,  crowed  three  times  in  his  shrillest  voice  and 
proudly  strutted  onward. 

A  little  farther  on  he  came  to  a  newly  mown  field,  where 
the  farmers  had  piled  up  the  weeds  in  order  to  burn  them. 
Coquerico  approached  a  smoking  heap,  hoping  to  find  some 
stray  kernels  of  corn,  and  saw  a  little  flame  which  was 
charring  the  green  stalks  without  being  able  to  set  them  on 
fire. 

"  My  good  friend,"  cried  the  Flame  to  the  newcomer,  "  you 
are  just  in  time  to  save  my  life;  I  am  dying  for  want  of  air. 
I  cannot  imagine  what  has  become  of  my  cousin,  the  Wind, 
who  cares  for  nothing  but  his  own  amusement.  Bring  me  a 
few  dry  straws  to  rekindle  my  strength,  and  you  will  not  have 
obliged  an  ingrate." 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  said  Coquerico,  "  and  I  will  serve  you 
as  you  deserve,  insolent  fellow  that  dares  ask  my  help !  " 
And  behold !  he  leaped  on  the  heap  of  dried  weeds,  and 
trampled  it  down  till  he  smothered  both  Flame  and  smoke; 
after  which  he  exultingly  shouted  three  times  "  Cock-a- 
doodle-doo  !  "  and  flapped  his  wings,  as  if  he  had  done  a  great 
deed. 

Proudly  strutting  onward  and  crowing,  Coquerico  at  last 
arrived  at  Rome,  the  place  to  which  all  roads  lead.  Scarcely 
had  he  reached  the  city  when  he  hastened  to  the  great  church 

[257] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

of  St.  Peter.  Grand  and  beautiful  as  it  was,  he  did  not  stop 
to  admire  it,  but,  planting  himself  in  front  of  the  main  en 
trance,  where  he  looked  like  a  fly  among  the  great  col 
umns,  he  raised  himself  on  tiptoe  and  began  to  shout  "  Cock- 
a-doodle-doo  ! "  only  to  enrage  the  saint  and  disobey  his 
mother. 

He  had  not  yet  ended  his  song  when  one  of  the  Pope's 
guards,  who  chanced  to  hear  him,  laid  hands  on  the  insolent 
wretch  who  dared  thus  to  insult  the  saint,  and  carried  him 
home  in  order  to  roast  him  for  supper. 

"  Quick !  "  said  he  to  his  wife  on  entering  the  house,  "  give 
me  some  boiling  water;  here  is  a  sinner  to  be  punished." 

"  Pardon,  pardon,  Madam  Water !  "  cried  Coquerico.  "  O 
good  and  gentle  Water,  the  best  and  purest  thing  in  the  world, 
do  not  scald  me,  I  pray  you !  " 

"  Did  you  have  pity  on  me  when  I  implored  your  aid,  un 
grateful  wretch  ?  "  answered  the  Water,  boiling  with  indigna 
tion.  And  with  a  single  gush  it  inundated  him  from  head 
to  foot,  and  left  not  a  bit  of  down  on  his  body. 

The  unhappy  Coquerico  stripped  of  all  his  feathers,  the 
soldier  took  him  and  laid  him  on  the  gridiron. 

"  O  Fire,  do  not  burn  me ! "  cried  he,  in  an  agony  of 
terror.  "  O  beautiful  and  brilliant  Fire,  the  brother  of  the 
Sun  and  the  cousin  of  the  Diamond,  spare  an  unhappy  crea 
ture;  restrain  thy  ardor  and  soften  thy  flame;  do  not  roast 
me!" 

"  Did  you  have  pity  on  me  when  I  implored  your  aid,  un 
grateful  wretch?"  answered  the  Fire,  and,  fiercely  blazing 
with  anger,  in  an  instant  it  burned  Coquerico  to  a  coal. 

The  soldier,  seeing  his  roast  chicken  in  this  deplorable  con 
dition,  took  him  by  the  leg  and  threw  him  out  of  the  window. 
The  Wind  bore  the  unhappy  fowl  to  a  dunghill,  where  it  left 
him  for  a  moment. 

"  O  Wind,"  murmured  Coquerico,  who  still  breathed,  "  oh, 
kindly  zephyr,  protecting  breeze,  behold  me  cured  of  my  vain 
follies ;  let  me  rest  on  the  paternal  dunghill." 

"  Let  you  rest !  "  roared  the  Wind.  "  Wait  and  I  will  teach 

[258] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

you  how  I  treat  ingrates."  And  with  one  blast  it  sent  him 
so  high  in  the  air  that,  as  he  fell  back,  he  was  transfixed  by 
a  steeple. 

There  St.  Peter  was  awaiting  him.  With  his  own  hand  he 
nailed  him  to  the  highest  steeple  in  Rome,  where  he  is  still 
shown  to  travelers.  However  high  placed  he  may  be,  all  de 
spise  him  because  he  turns  with  the  slightest  wind ;  black, 
dried  up,  stripped  of  his  feathers,  and  beaten  by  the  rain,  he 
is  no  longer  called  Coquerico,  but  Weathercock ;  and  thus  ex 
piates,  and  must  expiate  eternally,  his  disobedience,  vanity, 
and  wickedness. 


The   Bird-Cage   Maker 

/N  a  town  of  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Castile  there  lived, 
in  former  ages,  a  youth  called  Bartolo,  who  tried  to 
eke  out  a  living  by  making  cages  for  birds,  and  taking 
them  round  to  sell  at  the  neighboring  villages.  But  his  trade 
was  a  poor  one,  and  he  judged  himself  in  luck  if  he  sold 
one  cage  in  the  day,  and  as  may  be  supposed,  he  knew  what 
sorrow  and  privation  were. 

One  day  as  he  was  proceeding  to  a  village  he  heard  sounds 
of  revelry,  the  buzz  of  many  people,  and  the  strains  of  a 
band  of  music.  This  merrymaking  was  a  procession  of 
children  dressed  in  white,  carrying  in  their  midst  a  beautiful 
child  crowned  with  roses,  in  a  chariot  covered  with  white 
satin,  and  ornamented  with  acacia  and  myrtle.  This  pro 
cession  was  in  honor  of  Maya,  the  personification  of  Spring, 
and  took  place  to  announce  the  entry  of  Spring.  In  front 
of  the  little  chariot  some  children  danced,  and  held  in  their 
hands  tin  platters  for  contributions;  and,  as  may  be  imag 
ined,  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  spectators  dropped  their  coins  into 
them. 

Bartolo  moved  away  in  a  desponding  mood,  saying  to 
himself  as  he  walked  on:  "Is  this  the  justice  of  the  world? 
There  they  are,  flinging  their  money  into  these  platters  just 

[259] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

because  these  children  come  in  procession  to  announce  to  them 
that  it  is  the  month  of  May,  as  though  they  could  not  know 
it  by  looking  in  an  almanac.  They  barter  and  grind  me  down 
to  the  lowest  price  for  my  cages,  even  when  I  chance  to  sell 
one." 

Full  of  these  bitter  thoughts  he  walked  on  sadly,  for  the 
voices  of  two  importunate  enemies  were  making  themselves 
heard  within  him — these  were  hunger  and  thirst:  the  one 
clamored  for  food  and  the  other  for  drink.  Bartolo  had 
nothing  in  his  wallet  but  his  clasp  knife,  and  had  had  nought 
for  his  breakfast  but  hopes,  and  these  made  him  sharp  and 
active. 

He  had  reached  a  plantation  when  he  perceived  a  well- 
dressed  individual  coming  toward  him.  Pressed  by  hunger 
Bartolo,  taking  his  cap  off  respectfully,  approached  and 
said :  "  Excuse  me,  sir,  but  could  you  kindly  give  me  a 
trifle?  I  promise  I  will  return  it  as  soon  as  I  earn  some 
money." 

"  Don't  you  think  that  it  is  a  shameful  thing  for  a  man 
like  you,  young  and  with  a  good,  healthy  appearance,  to  be 
demanding  charity  of  people?  Does  it  not  strike  you  that 
you  have  a  duty  to  earn  your  living  by  working  at  your 
trade?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  certainly,  but  my  trade  does  not  fulfill  its  own 
duty.  Most  people  like  to  see  the  birds  flying  about  free 
rather  than  in  cages,  and,  therefore,  day  by  day  I  find 
myself  poorer  than  before." 

At  first  the  stranger  doubted  what  he  heard,  but  the  bird 
cage  maker  gave  him  so  detailed  an  account  of  his  work  and 
the  small  profits  he  derived,  that  he  became  interested  and 
sympathized  with  his  ill  fortune.  Bartolo  was  a  man  who 
always  knew  how  to  excite  great  interest  in  himself. 

"  Come,  come,"  the  stranger  said,  smiling,  "  I  will  do 
something  for  you.  As  I  cannot  find  customers  for  your 
cages,  I  will  afford  you  a  powerful  means  by  which  you  shall 
never  more  be  in  want." 

He  then  blew  a  whistle,  and  Bartolo  saw  flying  before  him 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

a  bird  blue  as  the  sky,  which  came  and  perched  on  one  of 
his  cages. 

"  See  here,"  added  the  stranger,  "  what  will  compensate  for 
all  your  past  misery.  From  this  day  forward  you  have  only 
to  formulate  a  wish  and  say  slowly  and  distinctly,  'Bluest  of 
blue  birds,  do  your  duty!'  and  your  wish  will  be  granted  to 
you." 

"  By  my  faith !  "  cried  the  bird-cage  maker,  "  but  I  will 
try  it  at  once.  For  the  last  twenty  years  I  have  wished 
to  kill  hunger :  '  Bluest  of  blue  birds,  do  your  duty ! ' : 

Scarcely  were  the  words  out  of  his  mouth  than  he  saw 
suddenly  spread  before  him  on  the  grass  a  breakfast  fit  for 
a  prince,  laid  on  a  service  of  exquisite  silver  and  glass  and 
the  whitest  of  cloths.  Bartolo,  astonished,  flung  himself  on 
his  knees  before  his  benefactor  to  thank  him,  but  he  raised 
him  up  saying: 

"  I  am  the  good  genius  of  the  honest  working-men  of 
Castile.  Sit  down  and  eat  without  fear.  Take  advantage  of 
your  lucky  star/'  and  then  suddenly  disappeared. 

Bartolo  reverently  bent  down  and  kissed  the  spot  upon 
which  he  had  stood,  unable  to  find  adequate  expression  of  his 
gratitude.  He  then  sat  down  and  ate  his  breakfast.  After 
his  meal,  Bartolo  judged  that  a  man  who  had  feasted  in  such 
an  elegant  manner  ought  to  have  other,  better  clothing  than 
his  well-worn  working  suit;  and,  lifting  his  staff,  he  cried 
to  the  bird :  "  Bluest  of  blue  birds,  do  your  duty !  "  In  an 
instant  his  old  suit  became  transformed  into  one  of  richest 
velvet,  embroidered  in  gold  and  silver,  and  his  rough  staff 
into  a  splendid  horse  fully  caparisoned,  and  having  round  its 
neck  a  collar  of  silver  bells. 

More  astonished  than  ever,  Bartolo  suspended  to  the 
saddle  the  cage  with  the  blue  bird,  leaped  on  the  horse,  and 
went  his  way,  as  proud  of  his  dress  as  a  donkey  of  its 
ears. 

Setting  spurs  to  his  horse,  he  soon  reached  the  gates  of  a 
splendid  castle.  Some  feast  was  taking  place  within.  The 
guests  were  all  seated  under  a  shady  bower,  deploring  that 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

they  had  been  disappointed  of  the  minstrels  who  were  to  have 
played. 

Bartolo,  on  learning  this,  advanced  to  the  bower,  and,  after 
elegantly  saluting  the  lord  and  lady  of  the  castle,  in  a  most 
refined  voice  said: 

"  If  it  be  right  for  a  simple  knight  to  offer  his  services 
to  such  a  distinguished  company  of  rank  and  beauty,  I  think 
I  could  promise  to  provide  what  you  are  requiring." 

"  Oh,  do !  at  once,  please !  "  cried  all  the  ladies,  who  were 
longing  to  dance. 

"  Bluest  of  blue  birds,  do  your  duty !  "  said  Bartolo. 

Suddenly,  in  the  distance,  was  heard  the  noise  of  many 
feet,  and  a  troop  of  musicians  with  their  instruments  appeared, 
to  the  great  delight  of  the  company. 

The  lord  of  the  castle  thanked  the  stranger,  and  desired 
him  to  open  the  ball  with  his  eldest  daughter,  a  maiden  fair 
and  lovely,  like  a  snowbird. 

When  the  ball  was  at  its  height,  the  bird-cage  maker  or 
dered  an  elegant  banquet  to  be  served,  during  which  the  bluest 
of  blue  birds  was  commanded  to  sing  some  songs,  which  were 
very  much  admired.  Games  of  chance  followed,  and  Bartolo, 
taking  advantage  of  his  good  fortune,  distributed  among  the 
ladies  pearls,  bracelets,  and  rings  of  precious  stones.  All 
those  present  were  surprised  beyond  measure,  because  the 
lord  of  the  castle  was  known  to  be  extremely  niggardly  and 
mean. 

The  lord  of  the  castle,  who  knew  how  all  this  had  been 
done  through  the  agency  of  the  bird,  and  being  himself  of 
an  inordinately  avaricious  nature,  thought  he  might  do  a  fine 
stroke  of  business  were  he  to  buy  the  creature.  Hence,  calling 
his  unknown  guest  away  to  his  study,  he  proposed  to  him 
to  purchase  the  bird  for  what  price  he  should  quote. 

f<  You  would  never  give  me  my  price,"  replied  Bartolo. 

"  For  it  I  would  give  my  castle  with  its  nine  forests,"  said 
the  lord  of  the  castle. 

"  It  is  not  enough !  " 

"  Very  well,  I  will  add  my  olive  plantations  and  vineyards." 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  That  is  still  insufficient !  "  cried  Bartolo. 

"  I  will  add  the  orchards,  gardens,  and  houses." 

"  I  want  something  else !  " 

"  What,  still  more  ?  Why,  man,  you  must  want  paradise 
itself!" 

"  Not  so ;  I  want  what  you  can  give  me  this  very  moment. 
I  want  your  daughter  with  whom  I  danced  just  now !  Let  her 
be  my  bride." 

"  What,  my  daughter ! "  cried  the  old  miser,  in  an  ecstasy 
of  joy ;  "  by  my  faith,  we  shall  soon  conclude  the  bargain. 
Why  did  you  not  say  so  before  ?  " 

He  went  to  seek  the  girl,  and  told  her  of  the  engagement 
he  had  entered  into.  But  his  daughter,  in  utter  amazement, 
cried  out: 

"  But  what  if  he  be  a  wicked  elf,  and  all  he  does  be  witch 
craft?" 

"  You  have  an  amulet  of  coral  hanging  from  your  neck ; 
it  is  an  antidote  against  all  witchery." 

"And  what  if  he  be  Satan  himself?" 

"  I  will  give  you  a  piece  of  blessed  candle,  and  he  will 
have  no  power  over  you,"  replied  the  unrelenting  father. 

Taking  her  hand,  he  led  her  to  the  stranger,  who  was 
already  on  his  horse,  and  assisted  her  to  mount  behind  her 
future  husband.  Taking  the  cage  with  the  bluest  of  birds, 
he  watched  the  retreating  forms  of  the  pair  as  the  horse 
carried  them  away  swifter  than  the  wind,  and  when  out  of 
sight,  he  proceeded  to  join  his  guests.  The  company  were 
all  gathered  in  knots  discussing  the  extraordinary  powers  of 
the  bird  and  all  the  events  which  had  taken  place. 

"  Peace !  peace !  "  cried  the  lord  of  the  castle,  as  he  entered ; 
"  I  will  perform  more  marvelous  things  than  ever  he  did.  I 
have  given  him  my  daughter  to  wed  in  exchange  for  the  bird, 
and  this  blue  bird  will  render  me  more  wealthy  than  the 
King  of  Aragon.  Approach,  and  see  the  wonders  I  will  work 
with  it." 

He  took  the  cage,  and  lifting  it  up  to  look  at  the  bird, 
was  astonished  to  find  that  it  was  not  blue  at  all,  but  a 

[263] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

large  gray  bird,  which  turned  to  stare  at  him  in  an  insolent 
manner,  gave  a  fierce  peck  at  the  door  of  the  cage  with 
its  beak,  flung  it  open,  and  flew  out  of  the  window  uttering 
a  terrible  screech. 

The  lord  of  the  castle  stood  with  open  mouth,  not  know 
ing  what  to  do  or  say.  His  guests  broke  out  in  peals  of 
laughter  at  his  discomfiture  and  the  well-deserved  punishment 
for  his  unseemly  avarice  in  exchanging  his  beautiful  daughter 
for  a  worthless  bird. 

Meanwhile,  Bartolo  was  galloping  on  with  his  bride  to 
the  nearest  town  to  be  married,  and  when  he  arrived  at 
the  first  hostelry,  he  wished  to  dismount  and  engage  the 
most  splendid  suite  of  apartments  for  his  intended  wife, 
but  he  found  himself  utterly  penniless.  He  had  not  cal 
culated  that  in  parting  with  the  bird  he  had  parted  with 
his  luck,  and  therefore  as  soon  as  he  dismounted  the  horse 
disappeared  and  his  elegant  dress  became  changed  for  the 
shabby  one  he  had  worn  before  he  met  the  kind  individual 
who  had  wished  to  befriend  him.  When  the  beautiful 
daughter  of  the  lord  of  the  castle  beheld  the  transformation 
which  had  taken  place  she  ran  back  to  her  father  as  fast 
as  she  could,  fright  lending  wings  to  her  feet. 

Bartolo  had  to  return  to  his  old  life  of  making  cages 
and  to  his  miserable  existence. 


The    Twelve   Months 

was  once  a  woman  who  was  left  a  widow  with 
two  children.  The  elder,  who  was  only  her  step- 
daughter,  was  named  Dobrunka;  the  younger,  who 
was  as  wicked  as  her  mother,  was  called  Katinka.  The  mother 
worshiped  her  daughter,  but  she  hated  Dobrunka,  simply  be 
cause  she  was  as  beautiful  as  her  sister  was  ugly.  Dobrunka 
did  not  even  know  that  she  was  pretty,  and  she  could  not 
understand  why  her  stepmother  flew  into  a  rage  at  the  mere 

[264] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

sight  of  her.  The  poor  child  was  obliged  to  do  all  the  work 
of  the  house ;  she  had  to  sweep,  cook,  wash,  sew,  spin,  weave, 
cut  the  grass,  and  take  care  of  the  cow,  while  Katinka  lived 
like  a  princess,  that  is  to  say,  did  nothing. 

Dobrunka  worked  with  a  good  will,  and  took  reproaches 
and  blows  with  the  gentleness  of  a  lamb ;  but  nothing  soothed 
her  stepmother,  for  every  day  added  to  the  beauty  of  the  elder 
sister  and  the  ugliness  of  the  younger.  "  They  are  growing 
up,"  thought  the  mother,  "  and  suitors  will  soon  appear  who 
will  refuse  my  daughter  when  they  see  this  hateful  Dobrunka, 
who  grows  beautiful  on  purpose  to  spite  me.  I  must  get 
rid  of  her,  cost  what  it  may." 

One  day  in  the  middle  of  January,  Katinka  took  a  fancy 
for  some  violets.  She  called  Dobrunka  and  said :  "  Go  to 
the  forest  and  bring  me  a  bunch  of  violets,  that  I  may  put 
them  in  my  bosom  and  enjoy  their  fragrance." 

"  Oh,  sister,  what  an  idea !  "  answered  Dobrunka ;  "  as  if 
there  were  any  violets  under  the  snow !  " 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  stupid  lass,"  returned  her  sister,  "  and 
do  as  I  bid  you.  If  you  do  not  go  to  the  forest  and  bring 
me  back  a  bunch  of  violets,  I  will  beat  you  to  a  jelly."  Upon 
this  the  mother  took  Dobrunka  by  the  arm,  put  her  out  of 
the  door,  and  drew  the  bolt  on  her. 

The  poor  girl  went  to  the  forest  weeping  bitterly.  Every 
thing  was  covered  with  snow ;  there  was  not  even  a  foot 
path.  She  lost  her  way,  and  wandered  about  till,  famishing 
with  hunger  and  perishing  with  cold,  she  entreated  God  to 
take  her  from  this  wretched  life. 

All  at  once  she  saw  a  light  in  the  distance.  She  went  on, 
climbing  higher  and  higher,  until  at  last  she  reached  the  top 
of  a  huge  rock,  upon  which  a  great  fire  was  built.  Around 
the  fire  were  twelve  stones,  and  on  each  stone  sat  a  mo 
tionless  figure,  wrapped  in  a  large  mantle,  his  head  covered 
with  a  hood  which  fell  over  his  eyes.  Three  of  these 
mantles  were  white  like  the  snow,  three  were  green  like  the 
grass  of  the  meadows,  three  were  golden  like  the  sheaves 
of  ripe  wheat,  and  three  were  purple  like  the  grapes  of  the 

[265] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

vine.  These  twelve  figures,  gazing  at  the  fire  in  silence,  were 
the  Twelve  Months  of  the  year. 

Dobrunka  knew  January  by  his  long  white  beard.  He  was 
the  only  one  that  had  a  staff  in  his  hand.  The  poor  girl 
was  terribly  frightened.  She  drew  near,  saying,  in  a  timid 
voice:  "My  good  sirs,  please  let  me  warm  myself  by  your 
fire;  I  am  freezing  with  cold." 

January  nodded  his  head.  "  Why  have  you  come  here,  my 
child  ?  "  he  asked.  "  What  are  you  looking  for  ?  " 

"  I  am  looking  for  violets,"  replied  Dobrunka. 

"  This  is  not  the  season  for  them ;  there  are  no  violets  in 
the  time  of  snow/'  said  January,  in  his  gruff  voice. 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  Dobrunka  sadly ;  "  but  my  sister  and 
mother  will  beat  me  to  a  jelly  if  I  do  not  bring  them  some. 
My  good  sirs,  please  tell  me  where  I  can  find  them." 

Old  January  rose,  and,  turning  to  a  young  man  in  a  green 
mantle,  put  his  staff  in  his  hand,  and  said  to  him,  "  Brother 
March,  this  is  your  business." 

March  rose  in  turn,  and  stirred  the  fire  with  the  staff,  when 
behold!  the  flames  rose,  the  snow  melted,  the  buds  put  forth 
on  the  trees,  the  grass  turned  green  under  the  bushes,  the 
flowers  peeped  through  the  verdure,  and  the  violets  opened — 
it  was  spring. 

"  Make  haste,  my  child,  and  gather  your  violets,"  said 
March. 

Dobrunka  gathered  a  large  bouquet,  thanked  the  Twelve 
Months,  and  joyfully  ran  home.  You  can  imagine  the  aston 
ishment  of  Katinka  and  the  stepmother.  The  fragrance  of 
the  violets  filled  the  whole  house. 

"  Where  did  you  find  these  fine  things  ?  "  asked  Katinka,  in 
a  disdainful  voice. 

"  Up  yonder  on  the  mountain,"  answered  her  sister.  "  It 
looked  like  a  great  blue  carpet  under  the  bushes." 

Katinka  put  the  bouquet  in  her  bosom,  and  did  not  even 
thank  the  poor  child. 

The  next  morning  the  wicked  sister,  as  she  sat  idling  by  the 
stove,  took  a  fancy  for  some  strawberries. 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Go  to  the  forest  and  bring  me  some  strawberries,"  said 
she  to  Dobrunka. 

"  Oh,  sister,  what  an  idea !  as  if  there  were  any  straw 
berries  under  the  snow !  " 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  stupid  lass,  and  do  as  I  bid  you.  If 
you  don't  go  to  the  forest  and  bring  me  back  a  basket  of 
strawberries,  I  will  beat  you  to  a  jelly." 

The  mother  took  Dobrunka  by  the  arm,  put  her  out  of  the 
door,  and  drew  the  bolt  on  her. 

The  poor  girl  returned  to  the  forest,  looking  with  all  her 
eyes  for  the  light  that  she  had  seen  the  day  before.  She  was 
fortunate  enough  to  spy  it,  and  she  reached  the  fire  trembling 
and  almost  frozen. 

The  Twelve  Months  were  in  their  places,  motionless  and 
silent. 

"  My  good  sirs,"  said  Dobrunka,  "  please  let  me  warm  my 
self  by  your  fire;  I  am  almost  frozen  with  cold." 

"  Why  have  you  returned  ?  "  asked  January.  "  What  are 
you  looking  for  ?  " 

"  I  am  looking  for  strawberries,"  answered  she. 
'  This  is  not  the  season  for  them,"  returned  January,  in  his 
gruff  voice ;  "  there  are  no  strawberries  under  the  snow." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  Dobrunka  sadly ;  "  but  my  mother  and 
sister  will  beat  me  to  a  jelly  if  I  do  not  bring  them  some. 
My  good  sirs,  please  tell  me  where  I  can  find  them." 

Old  January  rose,  and,  turning  to  a  man  in  a  golden  mantle, 
he  put  his  staff  in  his  hand,  saying,  "  Brother  June,  this  is 
your  business." 

June  rose  in  turn  and  stirred  the  fire  with  the  staff,  when 
behold!  the  flames  rose,  the  snow  melted,  the  earth  grew 
green,  the  trees  were  covered  with  leaves,  the  birds  sang,  and 
the  flowers  opened — it  was  summer.  Thousands  of  little  white 
stars  enameled  the  turf,  then  turned  to  red  strawberries, 
looking,  in  their  green  cups,  like  rubies  set  in  emeralds. 

"  Make  haste,  my  child,  and  gather  your  strawberries,"  said 
June. 

Dobrunka   filled  her   apron,   thanked  the   Twelve   Months, 

[267] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  joyfully  ran  home.  You  may  imagine  the  astonishment 
of  Katinka  and  the  stepmother.  The  fragrance  of  the  straw 
berries  filled  the  whole  house. 

"  Where  did  you  find  these  fine  things  ?  "  asked  Katinka, 
in  a  disdainful  voice. 

"  Up  yonder  on  the  mountain,"  answered  her  sister ;  "  there 
were  so  many  of  them  that  they  looked  like  blood  poured  on 
the  ground." 

Katinka  and  her  mother  devoured  the  strawberries  without 
even  thanking  the  poor  child. 

The  third  day  the  wicked  sister  took  a  fancy  for  some  red 
apples.  The  same  threats,  the  same  insults,  and  the  same 
violence  followed.  Dobrunka  ran  to  the  mountain,  and  was 
fortunate  enough  to  find  the  Twelve  Months  warming  them 
selves,  motionless  and  silent. 

"  You  here  again,  my  child  ? "  said  old  January,  making 
room  for  her  by  the  fire.  Dobrunka  told  him,  with  tears, 
how,  if  she  did  not  bring  home  some  red  apples,  her  mother 
and  sister  would  beat  her  to  death. 

Old  January  repeated  the  ceremonies  of  the  day  before. 
"  Brother  September,"  said  he  to  a  gray-bearded  man  in  a 
purple  mantle,  "  this  is  your  business." 

September  rose  and  stirred  the  fire  with  the  staff,  when  be 
hold  !  the  flames  ascended,  the  snow  melted,  and  the  trees  put 
forth  a  few  yellow  leaves,  which  fell  one  by  one  before  the 
wind — it  was  autumn.  The  only  flowers  were  a  few  late 
pinks,  daisies,  and  immortelles.  Dobrunka  saw  but  one  thing, 
an  apple  tree  with  its  rosy  fruit. 

"  Make  haste,  my  child ;  shake  the  tree,"  said  Septem 
ber. 

She  shook  it,  and  an  apple  fell;  she  shook  it  again,  and  a 
second  apple  followed. 

"  Make  haste,  Dobrunka,  make  haste  home !  "  cried  Septem 
ber,  in  an  imperious  voice. 

The  good  child  thanked  the  Twelve  Months,  and  joyfully 
ran  home.  You  may  imagine  the  astonishment  of  Katinka 
and  the  stepmother. 

[268] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Fresh-plucked  apples  in  January !  Where  did  you  get 
these  apples?"  asked  Katinka. 

"  Up  yonder  on  the  mountain ;  there  is  a  tree  there  that 
is  as  red  with  them  as  a  cherry  tree  in  July." 

"  Why  did  you  bring  only  two  ?  You  ate  the  rest  on  the 
way." 

"  Oh,  sister,  I  did  not  touch  them ;  I  was  only  permitted  to 
shake  the  tree  twice,  and  but  two  apples  fell." 

"  Begone,  you  wretch!  "  cried  Katinka,  striking  her  sister, 
who  ran  away  crying. 

The  wicked  girl  tasted  one  of  the  apples;  she  had  never 
eaten  anything  so  delicious  in  her  life,  neither  had  her  mother. 
How  they  regretted  not  having  any  more ! 

"  Mother,"  sa;d  Katinka,  "  give  me  my  fur  cloak.  I  will  go 
to  the  forest  and  find  the  tree,  and,  whether  I  am  permitted 
or  not,  I  will  shake  it  so  hard  that  all  the  apples  will  be  ours." 

The  mother  tried  to  stop  her.  A  spoiled  child  listens  to 
nothing.  Katinka  wrapped  herself  in  her  fur  cloak,  drew  the 
hood  over  her  head,  and  hastened  to  the  forest. 

Everything  was  covered  with  snow;  there  was  not  even  a 
footpath.  Katinka  lost  her  way,  but  she  pushed  on,  spurred 
by  pride  and  covetousness.  She  spied  a  light  in  the  distance. 
She  climbed  and  climbed  till  she  reached  the  place,  and  found 
the  Twelve  Months  each  seated  on  his  stone,  motionless  and 
silent.  Without  asking  their  permission,  she  approached  the 
fire. 

"  Why  have  you  come  here  ?  What  do  you  want  ?  Where 
are  you  going?"  asked  old  January  gruffly. 

"  What  matters  it  to  you,  old  fool  ?  "  answered  Katinka. 
"  It  is  none  of  your  business  where  I  came  from  or  whither 
I  am  going."  She  plunged  into  the  forest.  January  frowned, 
and  raised  his  staff  above  his  head.  In  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye  the  sky  was  overcast,  the  fire  went  out,  the  snow  fell, 
and  the  wind  blew.  Katinka  could  not  see  the  way  before 
her.  She  lost  herself,  and  vainly  tried  to  retrace  her  steps. 
The  snow  fell  and  the  wind  blew.  She  called  her  mother, 
she  called  her  sister,  she  prayed  to  God.  The  snow  fell  and 

[269] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  wind  blew.  Katinka  froze,  her  limbs  stiffened,  and  she 
fell  motionless.  The  snow  still  fell  and  the  wind  still  blew. 

The  mother  went  without  ceasing  from  the  window  to  the 
door,  and  from  the  door  to  the  window.  The  hours  passed, 
and  Katinka  did  not  return. 

"  I  must  go  and  look  for  my  daughter,"  said  she.  "  The 
child  has  forgotten  herself  with  those  hateful  apples."  She 
took  her  fur  cloak  and  hood,  and  hastened  to  the  mountain. 
Everything  was  covered  with  snow;  there  was  not  even  a 
footpath.  She  plunged  into  the  forest,  calling  her  daughter. 
The  snow  fell  and  the  wind  blew.  She  walked  on  with  fever 
ish  anxiety,  shouting  at  the  top  of  her  voice.  The  snow  still 
fell  and  the  wind  still  blew. 

Dobrunka  waited  through  the  evening  and  the  night,  but 
no  one  returned.  In  the  morning  she  took  her  wheel  and 
spun  a  whole  distaff  full ;  there  was  still  no  news.  "  What  can 
have  happened  ?  "  said  the  good  girl,  weeping.  The  sun  was 
shining  through  an  icy  mist,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with 
snow.  Dobrunka  prayed  for  her  mother  and  sister.  They 
did  not  return;  and  it  was  not  till  spring  that  a  shepherd 
found  the  two  bodies  in  the  forest. 

Dobrunka  remained  the  sole  mistress  of  the  house,  the  cow, 
and  the  garden,  to  say  nothing  of  a  piece  of  meadow  adjoin 
ing  the  house.  But  when  a  good  and  pretty  girl  has  a  field 
under  her  window,  the  next  thing  that  follows  is  a  young 
farmer,  who  offers  her  his  heart  and  hand.  Dobrunka  was 
soon  married.  The  Twelve  Months  did  not  abandon  their 
child.  More  than  once,  when  the  north  wind  blew  fearfully 
and  the  windows  shook  in  their  frames,  old  January  stopped 
up  all  the  crevices  of  the  house  with  snow,  so  that  the  cold 
might  not  enter  this  peaceful  abode. 

Dobrunka  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  always  virtuous  and 
happy,  having,  according  to  the  proverb,  winter  at  the  door, 
summer  in  the  barn,  autumn  in  the  cellar,  and  spring  in  the 
heart. 


[270] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

The   Bee,  the  Harp,   the    Mouse, 
and  the  Bum-Clock 

NCE  there  was  a  widow,  and  she  had  one  son,  called 
Jack.  Jack  and  his  mother  owned  just  three  cows. 
They  lived  well  and  happy  for  a  long  time;  but  at  last 
hard  times  came  down  on  them,  and  the  crops  failed,  and 
poverty  looked  in  at  the  door,  and  things  got  so  sore  against 
the  poor  widow  that  for  want  of  money  and  for  want  of  ne 
cessities  she  had  to  make  up  her  mind  to  sell  one  of  the 
cows.  "  Jack,"  she  said  one  night,  "  go  over  in  the  morn 
ing  to  the  fair  to  sell  the  branny  cow." 

Well  and  good:  in  the  morning  my  brave  Jack  was  up  early, 
and  took  a  stick  in  his  fist  and  turned  out  the  cow,  and  off 
to  the  fair  he  went  with  her;  and  when  Jack  came  into  the 
fair,  he  saw  a  great  crowd  gathered  in  a  ring  in  the  street. 
He  went  into  the  crowd  to  see  what  they  were  looking  at, 
and  there  in  the  middle  of  them  he  saw  a  man  with  a  wee, 
wee  harp,  a  mouse,  and  a  bum-clock,*  and  a  bee  to  play 
the  harp.  And  when  the  man  put  them  down  on  the 
ground  and  whistled,  the  bee  began  to  play  the  harp,  and 
the  mouse  and  the  bum-clock  stood  up  on  their  hind  legs 
and  took  hold  of  each  other  and  began  to  waltz.  And  as 
soon  as  the  harp  began  to  play  and  the  mouse  and  the  bum- 
clock  to  dance,  there  wasn't  a  man  or  woman,  or  a  thing  in 
the  fair  that  didn't  begin  to  dance  also;  and  the  pots  and 
pans,  and  the  wheels  and  reels  jumped  and  jigged  all  over 
the  town,  and  Jack  himself  and  the  branny  cow  were  as  bad 
as  the  next. 

There  was  never  a  town  in  such  a  state  before  or  since, 
and  after  a  while  the  man  picked  up  the  bee,  the  harp,  and 
the  mouse,  and  the  bum-clock  and  put  them  into  his  pocket, 
and  the  men  and  women,  Jack  and  the  cow,  the  pots  and 
pans,  wheels  and  reels  that  had  hopped  and  jigged  now 

*  Cockroach. 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

stopped,  and  everyone  began  to  laugh  as  if  to  break  its  heart. 
Then  the  man  turned  to  Jack.  "  Jack,"  says  he,  "  how  would 
you  like  to  be  master  of  all  these  animals  ?  " 

"  Why,"  says  Jack,  "  I  should  like  it  fine." 

"  Well,  then,"  says  the  man,  "  how  will  you  and  me  make 
a  bargain  about  them?  " 

"  I  have  no  money,"  says  Jack. 

"  But  you  have  a  fine  cow,"  says  the  man.  "  I  will  give 
you  the  bee  and  the  harp  for  it." 

"  Oh,  but,"  Jack  says,  says  he,  "  my  poor  mother  at  home 
is  very  sad  and  sorrowful  entirely,  and  I  have  this  cow  to  sell 
and  lift  her  heart  again." 

"  And  better  than  this  she  cannot  get,"  says  the  man. 
"  For  when  she  sees  the  bee  play  the  harp,  she  will  laugh  if 
she  never  laughed  in  her  life  before." 

"  Well,"  says  Jack,  says  he,  "  that  will  be  grand." 

He  made  the  bargain.  The  man  took  the  cow;  and  Jack 
started  home  with  the  bee  and  the  harp  in  his  pocket,  and 
when  he  came  home  his  mother  welcomed  him  back. 

"  And  Jack,"  says  she,  "  I  see  you  have  sold  the  cow." 

"  I  have  done  that,"  says  Jack. 

"  Did  you  do  well?  "  says  the  mother. 

"  I  did  well,  and  very  well,"  says  Jack. 

"  How  much  did  you  get  for  her?  "  says  the  mother. 

"  Oh,"  says  he,  "  it  was  not  for  money  at  all  I  sold  her,  but 
for  something  far  better." 

"  O,  Jack!  Jack!  "  says  she,  "  what  have  you  done?  " 

"  Just  wait  until  you  see,  mother,"  says  he,  "  and  you  will 
soon  say  I  have  done  well." 

Out  of  his  pocket  he  takes  the  bee  and  the  harp  and  sets 
them  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and  whistles  to  them,  and 
as  soon  as  he  did  this  the  bee  began  to  play  the  harp,  and  the 
mother  she  looked  at  them  and  let  a  big,  great  laugh  out  of 
her,  and  she  and  Jack  began  to  dance,  the  pots  and  pans, 
the  wheels  and  reels  began  to  jig  and  dance  over  the  floor, 
and  the  house  itself  hopped  about  also. 

When  Jack  picked  up  the  bee  and  the  harp  again  the  danc- 

[  272  ] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

ing  all  stopped,  and  the  mother  laughed  for  a  long  time.  But 
when  she  came  to  herself  she  got  very  angry  entirely  with 
Jack,  and  she  told  him  he  was  a  silly,  foolish  fellow,  that 
there  was  neither  food  nor  money  in  the  house,  and  now 
he  had  lost  one  of  her  good  cows  also.  "  We  must  do  some 
thing  to  live/'  says  she.  "  Over  to  the  fair  you  must  go 
to-morrow  morning,  and  take  the  black  cow  with  you  and 
sell  her." 

And  off  in  the  morning  at  an  early  hour  brave  Jack  started, 
and  never  halted  until  he  was  in  the  fair.  When  he  came 
into  the  fair  he  saw  a  big  crowd  gathered  in  a  ring  in  the 
street.  Said  Jack  to  himself,  "  I  wonder  what  they  are  look 
ing  at." 

Into  the  crowd  he  pushed,  and  saw  the  wee  man  this  day 
again  with  a  mouse  and  a  bum-clock,  and  he  put  them  down 
in  the  street  and  whistled.  The  mouse  and  the  bum-clock 
stood  up  on  their  hind  legs  and  got  hold  of  each  other  and 
began  to  dance  there  and  jig,  and  as  they  did  there  was  not 
a  man  or  woman  in  the  street  who  didn't  begin  to  jig  also, 
and  Jack  and  the  black  cow,  and  the  wheels  and  the  reels, 
and  the  pots  and  pans,  all  of  them  were  jigging  and  dancing 
all  over  the  town,  and  the  houses  themselves  were  jumping 
and  hopping  about,  and  such  a  place  Jack  or  anyone  else 
never  saw  before. 

When  the  man  lifted  the  mouse  and  the  bum-clock  into 
his  pocket  they  all  stopped  dancing  and  settled  down,  and 
everybody  laughed  right  hearty.  The  man  turned  to  Jack. 
"  Jack,"  says  he,  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you;  how  would  you  like 
to  have  these  animals?" 

"  I  should  like  well  to  have  them,"  says  Jack,  says  he,  "  only 
I  cannot." 

"  Why  cannot  you  ?  "  says  the  man. 

"  Oh !  "  says  Jack,  says  he,  "  I  have  no  money,  and  my  poor 
mother  is  very  downhearted.  She  sent  me  to  the  fair  to  sell 
this  cow  and  bring  some  money  to  lift  her  heart." 

"  Oh !  "  says  the  man,  says  he,  "  if  you  want  to  lift  your 
mother's  heart  I  will  sell  you  the  mouse,  and  when  you  set 

[273] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  bee  to  play  the  harp  and  the  mouse  to  dance  to  it,  your 
mother  will  laugh  if  she  never  laughed  in  her  life  before." 

"  But  I  have  no  money,"  says  Jack,  says  he,  "  to  buy  your 
mouse." 

"  I  don't  mind,"  says  the  man,  says  he,  "  I  will  take  your 
cow  for  it." 

Poor  Jack  was  so  taken  with  the  mouse,  and  had  his  mind 
so  set  on  it,  that  he  thought  it  was  a  grand  bargain  entirely, 
and  he  gave  the  man  his  cow  and  took  the  mouse  and  started 
off  for  home;  and  when  he  got  home  his  mother  welcomed 
him. 

"  Jack,"  says  she,  "  I  see  you  have  sold  the  cow." 

"  I  did  that,"  says  Jack. 

"  Did  you  sell  her  well  ?  "  says  she. 

"  Very  well  indeed,"  says  Jack,  says  he. 

"  How  much  did  you  get  for  her  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  get  money,"  says  he,  "  but  I  got  value." 

"  O  Jack !  Jack !  "  says  she,  "  what  do  you  mean?  " 

"  I  will  soon  show  you  that,  mother,"  says  he,  taking  the 
mouse  out  of  his  pocket  and  the  harp  and  the  bee,  and  setting 
all  on  the  floor ;  and  when  he  began  to  whistle,  the  bee  began 
to  play,  and  the  mouse  got  up  on  its  hind  legs  and  began  to 
dance  and  jig,  and  the  mother  gave  such  a  hearty  laugh  as  she 
never  laughed  in  her  life  before.  To  dancing  and  jigging  her 
self  and  Jack  fell,  and  the  pots  and  pans  and  the  wheels  and 
reels  began  to  dance  and  jig  over  the  floor,  and  the  house 
jigged  also.  And  when  they  were  tired  of  this,  Jack  lifted 
the  harp  and  the  mouse  and  the  bee  and  put  them  in  his  pocket, 
and  his  mother  she  laughed  for  a  long  time. 

But  when  she  got  over  that  she  got  very  downhearted  and 
very  angry  entirely  with  Jack.  "And  oh,  Jack!"  she  says, 
"  you  are  a  stupid,  good-for-nothing  fellow.  We  have  neither 
money  nor  meat  in  the  house,  and  here  you  have  lost  two  of 
my  good  cows,  and  I  have  only  one  left  now.  To-morrow 
morning,"  she  says,  "  you  must  be  up  early  and  take  this  cow 
to  the  fair  and  sell  her.  See  you  get  something  to  lift  my 
heart  up." 

[274] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  I  will  do  that,"  says  Jack,  says  he.  So  he  went  to  his  bed, 
and  early  in  the  morning  he  was  up  and  turned  out  the  spotty 
cow  and  went  to  the  fair. 

When  Jack  got  to  the  fair  he  saw  a  crowd  gathered  in  a  ring 
in  the  street.  "  I  wonder  what  they  are  looking  at,  anyhow," 
says  he.  He  pushed  through  the  crowd,  and  there  he  saw 
the  same  wee  man  he  had  seen  before,  with  a  bum-clock ;  and 
when  he  put  the  bum-clock  on  the  ground  he  whistled,  and 
the  bum-clock  began  to  dance ;  and  the  men,  women,  and  chil 
dren  in  the  street,  and  Jack  and  the  spotty  cow  began  to  dance 
and  jig  also,  and  everything  on  the  street  and  about  it — the 
wheels  and  reels,  the  pots  and  pans  began  to  jig,  and  the 
houses  themselves  began  to  dance  likewise.  And  when  the 
man  lifted  the  bum-clock  and  put  it  in  his  pocket  everybody 
stopped  jigging  and  dancing  and  everyone  laughed  aloud. 
The  wee  man  turned  and  saw  Jack. 

"  Jack,  my  brave  boy,"  says  he,  "  you  will  never  be  right 
fixed  until  you  have  this  bum-clock,  for  it  is  a  very  fancy 
thing  to  have." 

"  Oh !  but,"  says  Jack,  says  he,  "  I  have  no  money." 

"  No  matter  for  that,"  says  the  man ;  "  you  have  a  cow,  and 
that  is  as  good  as  money  to  me." 

"  Well,"  says  Jack,  "  I  have  a  poor  mother  who  is  very 
downhearted  at  home,  and  she  sent  me  to  the  fair  to  sell  this 
cow  and  raise  some  money  and  lift  her  heart." 

"  Oh !  but  Jack,"  says  the  wee  man,  "  this  bum-clock  is  the 
very  thing  to  lift  her  heart,  for  when  you  put  down  your  harp 
and  bee  and  mouse  on  the  floor,  and  put  the  bum-clock  along 
with  them  she  will  laugh  if  she  never  laughed  in  her  life 
before." 

"  Well,  that  is  surely  true,"  says  Jack,  says  he,  "  and  I  think 
I  will  make  a  swap  with  you." 

So  Jack  gave  the  cow  to  the  man  and  took  the  bum-clock 
himself,  and  started  for  home.  His  mother  was  glad  to  see 
Jack  back,  and  says  she,  "  Jack,  I  see  that  you  have  sold  the 
cow." 

"  I  did  that,  mother,"  says  Jack. 

[275] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

"  Did  you  sell  her  well,  Jack  ?  "  says  the  mother. 

"  Very  well  indeed,  mother,"  says  Jack. 

"  How  much  did  you  get  for  her?  "  says  the  mother. 

"  I  didn't  take  any  money  for  her,  mother,  but  value,"  says 
Jack,  and  he  takes  out  of  his  pocket  the  bum-clock  and  the 
mouse,  and  set  them  on  the  floor  and  began  to  whistle,  and  the 
bee  began  to  play  the  harp  and  the  mouse  and  the  bum-clock 
stood  up  on  their  hind  legs  and  began  to  dance,  and  Jack's 
mother  laughed  very  hearty,  and  everything  in  the  house — 
the  wheels  and  the  reels  and  the  pots  and  pans  went  jig 
ging  and  hopping  over  the  floor,  and  the  house  itself  went 
jigging  and  hopping  about  likewise. 

When  Jack  lifted  up  the  animals  and  put  them  in  his  pocket 
everything  stopped,  and  the  mother  laughed  for  a  good  while. 
But  after  a  while,  when  she  came  to  herself  and  saw  what  Jack 
had  done  and  how  they  were  now  without  either  money,  or 
food,  or  a  cow,  she  got  very,  very  angry  at  Jack  and  scolded 
him  hard,  and  then  sat  down  and  began  to  cry. 

Poor  Jack,  when  he  looked  at  himself,  confessed  that  he  was 
a  stupid  fool  entirely.  "  And  what,"  says  he,  "  shall  I  now  do 
for  my  poor  mother  ?  "  He  went  out  along  the  road,  think 
ing  and  thinking,  and  he  met  a  wee  woman  who  said :  "  Good 
morrow  to  you,  Jack,"  says  she,  "  how  is  it  you  are  not  trying 
for  the  King's  daughter  of  Ireland  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  says  Jack. 

Says  she :  "  Didn't  you  hear  what  the  whole  world  has  heard, 
that  the  King  of  Ireland  has  a  daughter  who  hasn't  laughed 
for  seven  years,  and  he  has  promised  to  give  her  in  marriage 
and  to  give  the  kingdom  along  with  her  to  any  man  who  will 
take  three  laughs  out  of  her." 

"If  that  is  so,"  says  Jack,  says  he,  "it  is  not  here  I 
should  be." 

Back  to  the  house  he  went  and  gathers  together  the  bee,  the 
harp,  the  mouse,  and  the  bum-clock,  and  putting  them  into  his 
pocket  he  bade  his  mother  good-by,  and  told  her  it  wouldn't 
be  long  till  she  got  good  news  from  him,  and  off  he  hurries. 

When  he  reached  the  castle  there  was  a  ring  of  spikes  all 

[276] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

around  the  castle  and  men's  heads  on  nearly  every  spike 
there. 

"What  heads  are  these?"  Jack  asked  one  of  the  King's 
soldiers. 

"  Any  man  that  comes  here  trying  to  win  the  King's  daugh 
ter  and  fails  to  make  her  laugh  three  times  loses  his  head 
and  has  it  stuck  on  a  spike.  These  are  the  heads  of  the  men 
that  failed,"  says  he. 

"  A  mighty  big  crowd,"  says  Jack,  says  he.  Then  Jack  sent 
word  to  tell  the  King's  daughter  and  the  King  that  there  was 
a  new  man  who  had  come  to  win  her. 

In  a  very  little  time  the  King  and  the  King's  daughter  and 
the  King's  court  all  came  out  and  sat  themselves  down  on 
gold-and-silver  chairs  in  front  of  the  castle,  and  ordered  Jack 
to  be  brought  in  until  he  should  have  his  trial.  Jack,  before  he 
went,  took  out  of  his  pocket  the  bee,  the  harp,  the  mouse,  and 
the  bum-clock,  and  he  gave  the  harp  to  the  bee,  and  he  tied  a 
string  to  one  and  the  other,  and  took  the  end  of  the  string 
himself,  and  marched  into  the  castle  yard  before  all  the  court, 
with  his  animals  coming  on  a  string  behind  him. 

When  the  Queen  and  the  King  and  the  court  and  the  princes 
saw  poor  ragged  Jack  with  his  bee  and  mouse  and  bum-clock 
hopping  behind  him  on  a  string  they  set  up  one  roar  of  laugh 
ter  that  was  long  and  loud  enough,  and  when  the  King's 
daughter  herself  lifted  her  head  and  looked  to  see  what  they 
were  laughing  at,  and  saw  Jack  and  his  paraphernalia,  she 
opened  her  mouth  and  she  gave  such  a  laugh  as  was  never 
heard  before. 

Then  Jack  dropped  a  low  courtesy  and  said :  "  Thank  you, 
my  lady ;  I  have  one  of  the  three  parts  of  you  won." 

Then  he  drew  up  his  animals  in  a  circle  and  began  to  whistle, 
and  the  minute  he  did  the  bee  began  to  play  the  harp,  and  the 
mouse  and  the  bum-clock  stood  up  on  their  hind  legs,  got  hold 
of  each  other,  and  began  to  dance,  and  the  King  and  the 
King's  court  and  Jack  himself  began  to  dance  and  jig,  and 
everything  about  the  King's  castle  —  pots  and  pans,  wheels 
and  reels,  and  the  castle  itself  began  to  dance  also.  And  the 

[277] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

King's  daughter,  when  she  saw  this,  opened  her  mouth  again 
and  gave  a  laugh  twice  louder  than  she  did  before,  and  Jack, 
in  the  middle  of  his  jigging,  drops  another  courtesy,  and  says: 
"  Thank  you,  my  lady;  that  is  two  of  the  three  parts  of  you 
won." 

Jack  and  his  menagerie  went  on  playing  and  dancing,  but 
Jack  could  not  get  the  third  laugh  out  of  the  King's  daughter, 
and  the  poor  fellow  saw  his  big  head  in  danger  of  going  on 
the  spike.  Then  the  brave  mouse  came  to  Jack's  help  and 
wheeled  round  upon  its  heel,  and  as  it  did  so  its  tail  swept 
into  the  bum-clock's  mouth,  and  the  bum-clock  began  to  cough 
and  cough  and  cough.  And  when  the  King's  daughter  saw 
this  she  opened  her  mouth  again,  and  she  laughed  the  loudest 
and  hardest  and  merriest  laugh  that  was  ever  heard  before  or 
since ;  and,  "  Thank  you,  my  lady,"  says  Jack,  dropping  an 
other  courtesy;  "  I  have  all  of  you  won." 

Then  when  Jack  stopped  his  menagerie  the  King  took  him 
self  and  the  menagerie  within  the  castle.  He  was  washed  and 
combed  and  dressed  in  a  suit  of  silk  and  satin,  with  all  kinds 
of  gold  and  silver  ornaments,  and  then  was  led  before  the 
King's  daughter.  And  true  enough  she  confessed  that  a 
handsomer  and  finer  fellow  than  Jack  she  had  never  seen,  and 
she  was  very  willing  to  be  his  wife. 

Jack  sent  for  his  poor  old  mother  and  brought  her  to  the 
wedding,  which  lasted  nine  days  and  nine  nights,  every  night 
better  than  the  other.  All  the  lords  and  ladies  and  gentry  of 
Ireland  were  at  the  wedding.  I  was  at  it,  too,  and  got 
brogues,  broth  and  slippers  of  bread,  and  came  jigging  home 
on  my  head. 


[278] 


THE   FAIRY    RING 
Long    Leather    Bag 

on  a  time,  long,  long  ago,  there  was  a  widow 
woman  who  had  three  daughters.  When  their  father 
died,  their  mother  thought  they  never  would  want,  for 
he  had  left  her  a  long  leather  bag  filled  with  gold  and  silver. 
But  he  was  not  long  dead,  when  an  old  Hag  came  begging 
to  the  house  one  day  and  stole  the  long  leather  bag  filled  with 
gold  and  silver,  and  went  away  out  of  the  country  with  it, 
no  one  knew  where. 

So  from  that  day,  the  widow  woman  and  her  three  daugh 
ters  were  poor,  and  she  had  a  hard  struggle  to  live  and  to 
bring  up  her  three  daughters. 

But  when  they  were  grown  up,  the  eldest  said  one  day: 
"  Mother,  I'm  a  young  woman  now,  and  it's  a  shame  for 
me  to  be  here  doing  nothing  to  help  you  or  myself.  Bake 
me  a  bannock  and  cut  me  a  callop,  till  I  go  away  to  push 
my  fortune." 

The  mother  baked  her  a  whole  bannock,  and  asked  her  if 
she  would  have  half  of  it  with  her  blessing,  or  the  whole  of 
it  without.  She  said  to  give  her  the  whole  bannock  without. 

So  she  took  it  and  went  away.  She  told  them  if  she  was 
not  back  in  a  year  and  a  day  from  that,  then  they  would  know 
she  was  doing  well,  and  making  her  fortune. 

She  traveled  away  and  away  before  her,  far  farther  than 
I  could  tell  you,  and  twice  as  far  as  you  could  tell  me,  until 
she  came  into  a  strange  country,  and  going  up  to  a  little  house, 
she  found  an  old  Hag  living  in  it.  The  Hag  asked  her  where 
she  was  going.  She  said  she  was  going  to  push  her  fortune. 

Said  the  Hag :  "  How  would  you  like  to  stay  here  with 
me,  for  I  want  a  maid  ?  " 

"What  will  I  have  to  do?"  said  she. 

"  You  will  have  to  wash  me  and  dress  me,  and  sweep 
the  hearth  clean ;  but  on  the  peril  of  your  life,  never  look  up 
the  chimney,"  said  the  Hag. 

"  All  right,"  she  agreed  to  this. 

[279] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

The  next  day,  when  the  Hag  arose,  she  washed  her  and 
dressed  her,  and  when  the  Hag  went  out,  she  swept  the 
hearth  clean,  and  she  thought  it  would  do  no  harm  to  have 
one  wee  look  up  the  chimney.  And  there,  v/hat  did  she  see 
but  her  own  mother's  long  leather  bag  of  gold  and  silver! 
So  she  took  it  down  at  once,  and  getting  it  on  her  back, 
started  away  for  home  as  fast  as  she  could  run. 

But  she  had  not  gone  far  when  she  met  a  horse  grazing 
in  a  field,  and  when  he  saw  her  he  said :  "  Rub  me !  Rub  me ! 
for  I  haven't  been  rubbed  these  seven  years." 

But  she  only  struck  him  with  a  stick  she  had  in  her  hand, 
and  drove  him  out  of  her  way. 

She  had  not  gone  much  farther  when  she  met  a  sheep,  who 
said :  "  Oh,  shear  me !  Shear  me !  for  I  haven't  been  shorn 
these  seven  years." 

But  she  struck  the  sheep,  and  sent  it  scurrying  out  of  her 
way. 

She  had  not  gone  much  farther  when  she  met  a  goat 
tethered,  and  he  said :  "  Oh,  change  my  tether !  Change  my 
tether!  for  it  hasn't  been  changed  these  seven  years." 

But  she  flung  a  stone  at  him,  and  went  on. 

Next  she  came  to  a  limekiln,  and  it  said :  "  Oh,  clean  me ! 
Clean  me!  for  I  haven't  been  cleaned  these  seven  years." 

But  she  only  scowled  at  it,  and  hurried  on. 

After  another  bit  she  met  a  cow,  and  it  said : 

"  Oh,  milk  me !  Milk  me !  for  I  haven't  been  milked  these 
seven  years." 

She  struck  the  cow  out  of  her  way,  and  went  on. 

Then  she  came  to  a  mill.  The  mill  said :  "  Oh,  turn  me ! 
Turn  me!  for  I  haven't  been  turned  these  seven  years." 

But  she  did  not  heed  what  it  said,  only  went  in  and  lay  down 
behind  the  mill  door,  with  the  bag  under  her  head,  for  it  was 
then  night. 

When  the  Hag  came  into  her  hut  again  and  found  the  girl 
gone,  she  ran  to  the  chimney  and  looked  up  to  see  if  she 
had  carried  off  the  bag.  She  flew  into  a  great  rage,  and  she 
started  to  run  as  fast  she  could  after  her. 

[280] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

She  had  not  gone  far  when  she  met  the  horse,  and  she 
said :  "  Oh,  horse,  horse  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid  of 
mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather  bag, 
and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  said  the  horse,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed 
here." 

So  on  she  ran,  and  it  was  not  long  till  she  met  the  sheep, 
and  said  she :  "  Sheep,  sheep  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid 
of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather  bag, 
and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  said  the  sheep,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed 
here." 

So  she  goes  on,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  met  the 
goat,  and  said  she :  "  Goat,  goat  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid 
of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather 
bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was 
a  maid?" 

"  Aye,"  said  the  goat,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed  here." 

So  she  goes  on,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  met  the 
limekiln,  and  said  she :  "  Limekiln,  limekiln  of  mine,  did 
you  see  this  maid  of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my 
long  leather  bag,  and  with  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have 
earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

"Aye,"  said  the  limekiln,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed 
here." 

So  she  goes  on,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  met  the 
cow,  and  said  she :  "  Cow,  cow  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid 
of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather  bag, 
and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  said  the  cow,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed  here." 

So  she  goes  on,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  met  the 
mill,  and  said  she:  "  Mill,  mill  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid 
of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather 
bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a 
maid?" 

And  the  mill  said :  "  Yes,  she  is  sleeping  behind  the  door." 

She  went  in  and  struck  her  with  a  white  rod,  and  turned 

[281] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

her  into  a  stone.  She  then  took  the  bag  of  gold  and  silver 
on  her  back  and  went  away  back  home. 

A  year  and  a  day  had  gone  by  after  the  eldest  daughter 
left  home,  and  when  they  found  she  had  not  returned,  the 
second  daughter  got  up,  and  she  said :  "  My  sister  must  be 
doing  well  and  making  her  fortune,  and  isn't  it  a  shame  for 
me  to  be  sitting  here  doing  nothing,  either  to  help  you, 
mother,  or  myself  ?  Bake  me  a  bannock,"  said  she,  "  and  cut 
me  a  callop,  till  I  go  away  to  push  my  fortune." 

The  mother  did  this,  and  asked  her  would  she  have  half 
the  bannock  with  her  blessing,  or  the  whole  bannock  with 
out. 

She  said  the  whole  bannock  without,  and  she  set  off.  Then 
she  said :  "If  I  am  not  back  here  in  a  year  and  a  day,  you 
may  be  sure  that  I  am  doing  well  and  making  my  fortune," 
and  then  she  went  away. 

She  traveled  away  and  away  on  before  her,  far  farther 
than  I  could  tell  you,  and  twice  as  far  as  you  could  tell  me, 
until  she  came  into  a  strange  country,  and  going  up  to  a 
little  house,  she  found  an  old  Hag  living  in  it.  The  old  Hag 
asked  her  where  she  was  going.  She  said  she  was  going 
to  push  her  fortune. 

Said  the  Hag:  "How  would  you  like  to  stay  here  with 
me,  for  I  want  a  maid  ?  " 

"  What  will  I  have  to  do?  "  says  she. 

"  You'll  have  to  wash  me  and  dress  me,  and  sweep  the 
hearth  clean ;  and  on  the  peril  of  your  life  never  look  up  the 
chimney,"  said  the  Hag. 

"  All  right,"  she  agreed  to  this. 

The  next  day,  when  the  Hag  arose,  she  washed  her  and 
dressed  her,  and  when  the  Hag  went  out  she  swept  the  hearth, 
and  she  thought  it  would  do  no  harm  to  have  one  wee  look 
up  the  chimney.  And  there,  what  did  she  see  but  her  own 
mother's  long  leather  bag  of  gold  and  silver!  So  she  took 
it  down  at  once,  and  getting  it  on  her  back,  started  away  for 
home  as  fast  as  she  could  run. 

But  she  had  not  gone  far  when  she  met  a  horse  grazing 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

in  a  field,  and  when  he  saw  her  he  said :  "  Rub  me !  Rub  me ! 
for  I  haven't  been  rubbed  these  seven  years." 

But  she  only  struck  him  with  a  stick  she  had  in  her  hand 
and  drove  him  out  of  her  way. 

She  had  not  gone  much  farther  when  she  met  the  sheep, 
who  said :  "  Oh,  shear  me !  Shear  me !  for  I  haven't  been 
shorn  in  seven  years." 

But  she  struck  the  sheep  and  sent  it  scurrying  out  of  her 
way. 

She  had  not  gone  much  farther  when  she  met  the  goat 
tethered,  and  he  said :  "  Oh,  change  my  tether !  Change  my 
tether!  for  it  hasn't  been  changed  in  seven  years." 

But  she  flung  a  stone  at  him  and  went  on. 

Next  she  came  to  the  limekiln,  and  that  said :  "  Oh,  clean 
me !  Clean  me !  for  I  haven't  been  cleaned  these  seven  years." 

But  she  only  scowled  at  it  and  hurried  on. 

Then  she  came  to  the  cow,  and  it  said :  "  Oh,  milk  me ! 
Milk  me!  for  I  haven't  been  milked  these  seven  years." 

She  struck  the  cow  out  of  her  way  and  went  on. 

Then  she  came  to  the  mill.  The  mill  said :  "  Oh,  turn  me  J 
Turn  me !  for  I  haven't  been  turned  these  seven  years." 

But  she  did  not  heed  what  it  said,  only  went  in  and  lay 
down  behind  the  mill  door,  with  the  bag  under  her  head,  for 
it  was  then  night. 

When  the  Hag  came  into  her  hut  again  and  found  the 
girl  gone,  she  ran  to  the  chimney  and  looked  up  to  see  if 
she  had  carried  off  the  bag.  She  flew  into  a  great  rage,  and 
she  started  to  run  as  fast  as  she  could  after  her. 

She  had  not  gone  far  when  she  met  the  horse,  and  she 
said :  "  Oh,  horse,  horse  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid  of 
mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather  bag, 
and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  said  the  horse,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed 
here."' 

So  on  she  ran,  and  it  was  not  long  until  she  met  the  sheep, 
and  said  she:  "  Oh,  sheep,  sheep  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid 
of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather 

[283] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was 
a  maid?" 

"  Aye,"  said  the  sheep,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed 
here." 

So  she  goes  on,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  met  the 
goat,  and  said :  "  Goat,  goat  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid 
of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather 
bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a 
maid?" 

"  Aye,"  said  the  goat,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed  here." 

So  she  goes  on,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  met  the 
limekiln,  and  said  she :  "  Limekiln,  limekiln  of  mine,  did 
you  see  this  maid  of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with 
my  long  leather  bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have 
earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

"Aye,"  said  the  limekiln,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed 
here." 

So  she  goes  on,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  met  the 
cow,  and  says  she:  "Cow,  cow  of  mine,  did  you  see  this 
maid  of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long 
leather  bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since 
I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  said  the  cow,  "  it  is  not  long  since  she  passed  here." 

So  she  goes  on,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  met  the  mill, 
and  said  she :  "  Mill,  mill  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid  of 
mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather  bag, 
and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a 
maid?" 

And  the  mill  said :  "  Yes,  she  is  sleeping  behind  the  door." 

She  went  in  and  struck  her  with  a  white  rod,  and  turned 
her  into  a  stone.  She  then  took  the  bag  of  gold  and  silver 
on  her  back  and  went  home. 

When  the  second  daughter  had  been  gone  a  year  and  a 
day  and  she  hadn't  come  back,  the  youngest  daughter  said: 
"  My  two  sisters  must  be  doing  very  well  indeed,  and  making 
great  fortunes  when  they  are  not  coming  back,  and  it's  a 
shame  for  me  to  be  sitting  here  doing  nothing,  either  to 

[284] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

help  you,  mother,  or  myself.  Make  me  a  bannock  and  cut 
me  a  callop,  till  I  go  away  and  push  my  fortune." 

The  mother  did  this,  and  asked  her  would  she  have  half 
of  the  bannock  with  her  blessing,  or  the  whole  bannock 
without. 

She  said :  "  I  will  have  half  of  the  bannock  with  your 
blessing,  mother." 

The  mother  gave  her  a  blessing  and  half  a  bannock,  and 
she  set  out. 

She  traveled  away  and  away  on  before  her,  far  farther  than 
I  could  tell  you,  and  twice  as  far  as  you  could  tell  me,  until 
she  came  into  a  strange  country,  and  going  up  to  a  little 
house,  she  found  an  old  Hag  living  in  it.  The  Hag  asked 
her  where  she  was  going.  She  said  she  was  going  to  push 
her  fortune. 

Said  the  Hag :  "  How  would  you  like  to  stay  here  with  me, 
for  I  want  a  maid  ?  " 

"  What  will  I  have  to  do?  "  said  she. 

"  You'll  have  to  wash  me  and  dress  me,  and  sweep  the 
hearth  clean ;  and  on  the  peril  of  your  life  never  look  up  the 
chimney,"  said  the  Hag. 

"  All  right,"  she  agreed  to  this. 

The  next  day  when  the  Hag  arose,  she  washed  her  and 
dressed  her,  and  when  the  Hag  went  out  she  swept  the  hearth, 
and  she  thought  it  would  do  no  harm  to  have  one  wee  look 
up  the  chimney,  and  there,  what  did  she  see  but  her  own 
mother's  long  leather  bag  of  gold  and  silver!  So  she  took 
it  down  at  once,  and  getting  it  on  her  back,  started  away 
for  home  as  fast  as  she  could  run. 

When  she  got  to  the  horse,  the  horse  said :  "  Rub  me ! 
Rub  me!  for  I  haven't  been  rubbed  these  seven  years." 

"  Oh,  poor  horse,  poor  horse,"  she  said,  "  I'll  surely 
do  that."  And  she  laid  down  her  bag  and  rubbed  the 
horse. 

Then  she  went  on,  and  it  wasn't  long  before  she  met  the 
sheep,  who  said :  "  Oh,  shear  me !  Shear  me !  for  I  haven't 
been  shorn  these  seven  years." 

[285] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Oh,  poor  sheep,  poor  sheep,"  she  said,  "  I'll  surely  do 
that,"  and  she  laid  down  the  bag  and  sheared  the  sheep. 

On  she  went  till  she  met  the  goat  who  said :  "  Oh,  change 
my  tether!  Change  my  tether!  for  it  hasn't  been  changed 
these  seven  years." 

"  Oh,  poor  goat,  poor  goat/''  she  said,  "  I'll  surely  do  that," 
and  she  laid  down  the  bag  and  changed  the  goat's  tether. 

Then  she  went  on  till  she  met  the  limekiln.  The  limekiln 
said :  "  Oh,  clean  me !  Clean  me !  for  I  haven't  been  cleaned 
these  seven  years." 

"  Oh,  poor  limekiln,  poor  limekiln,"  she  said,  "  I'll  surely 
do  that,"  and  she  laid  down  the  bag  and  cleaned  the  limekiln. 

Then  she  went  on  and  met  the  cow.  The  cow  said :  "  Oh, 
milk  me !  Milk  me !  for  I  haven't  been  milked  these  seven 
years." 

"  Oh,  poor  cow,  poor  cow,"  she  said,  "  I'll  surely  do  that," 
and  she  laid  down  the  bag  and  milked  the  cow. 

At  last  she  reached  the  mill.  The  mill  said :  "  Oh,  turn  me ! 
Turn  me !  for  I  haven't  been  turned  these  seven  years." 

"  Oh,  poor  mill,  poor  mill,"  she  said,  "  I'll  surely  do  that," 
and  she  turned  the  mill  too. 

As  night  was  on  her  she  went  in  and  lay  down  behind  the 
mill  door  to  sleep. 

When  the  Hag  came  into  her  hut  again  and  found  the  girl 
gone,  she  ran  to  the  chimney  to  see  if  she  had  carried  off 
the  bag.  She  flew  into  a  great  rage,  and  started  to  run  as 
fast  as  she  could  after  her. 

She  had  not  gone  far  until  she  came  up  to  the  horse  and 
said :  "  Oh,  horse,  horse  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid  of 
mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather 
bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was 
a  maid?  " 

The  horse  said :  "  Do  you  think  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
watch  your  maids  for  you?  You  may  go  somewhere  else 
and  look  for  information." 

Then  she  came  upon  the  sheep.  "  Oh,  sheep,  sheep  of  mine, 
have  you  seen  this  maid  of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag, 

[286] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

with  my  long  leather  bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have 
earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

The  sheep  said:  "  Do  you  think  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
watch  your  maids  for  you?  You  may  go  somewhere  else  and 
look  for  information." 

Then  she  went  on  till  she  met  the  goat.  "  Oh,  goat,  goat 
of  mine,  have  you  seen  this  maid  of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with 
my  tag,  with  my  long  leather  bag,  and  all  the  gold  and 
silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

The  goat  said:  "Do  you  think  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
watch  your  maids  for  you  ?  You  can  go  somewhere  else  and 
look  for  information." 

Then  she  went  on  till  she  came  to  the  limekiln.  "  Oh,  lime 
kiln,  limekiln  of  mine,  did  you  see  this  maid  of  mine,  with 
my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my  long  leather  bag,  and  all  the 
gold  and  silver  I  have  earned  since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

Said  the  limekiln:  "Do  you  think  I  have  nothing  to  do 
but  watch  your  maids  for  you?  You  may  go  somewhere  else 
and  look  for  information." 

Next  she  met  the  cow.  "Oh,  cow,  cow  of  mine,  have 
you  seen  this  maid  of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with 
my  long  leather  bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned 
since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

The  cow  said:  "Do  you  think  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
watch  your  maids  for  you?  You  may  go  somewhere  else 
and  look  for  information." 

Then  she  got  to  the  mill.  "  Oh,  mill,  mill  of  mine,  have  you 
seen  this  maid  of  mine,  with  my  tig,  with  my  tag,  with  my 
long  leather  bag,  and  all  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  earned 
since  I  was  a  maid  ?  " 

The  mill  said :  "  Come  nearer  and  whisper  to  me." 

She  went  nearer  to  whisper  to  the  mill,  and  the  mill 
dragged  her  under  the  wheels  and  ground  her  up. 

The  old  Hag  had  dropped  the  white  rod  out  of  her  hand, 
and  the  mill  told  the  young  girl  to  take  this  white  rod  and 
strike  two  stones  behind  the  mill  door.  She  did  that,  and 
her  two  sisters  stood  up.  She  hoisted  the  leather  bag  on  her 

[287] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

back,  and  the  three  of  them  set  out  and  traveled  away  and 
away  till  they  reached  home. 

The  mother  had  been  crying  all  the  time  while  they  were 
away,  and  was  now  ever  so  glad  to  see  them,  and  rich  and 
happy  they  all  lived  ever  after. 


'The    Widow's   Daughter 

rHERE  was  once  a  poor  widow  woman,  living  in  the 
North  of  Ireland,  who  had  one  daughter  named 
Nabla.  And  Nabla  grew  up  both  idle  and  lazy,  till 
at  length,  when  she  had  grown  to  be  a  young  woman,  she 
was  both  thriftless  and  useless,  fit  only  to  sit  with  her  heels 
in  the  ashes  and  croon  to  the  cat  the  day  long.  Her  mother 
was  annoyed  with  her,  so  that  one  day,  when  Nabla  refused 
to  do  some  little  trifle  about  the  house,  her  mother  got  out 
a  good  stout  sally  rod  and  came  in  and  thrashed  her  soundly 
with  it. 

As  her  mother  was  giving  Nabla  the  whacking  she  had 
so  richly  earned,  who  should  happen  to  be  riding  past  but 
the  King's  son  himself.  He  heard  the  mother  beating  and 
scolding,  and  Nabla  crying  and  pleading  within.  So  he  drew 
rein,  and  at  the  top  of  his  voice  shouted  to  know  what  was 
the  matter.  The  widow  came  to  the  door,  courtesy  ing  when 
she  saw  who  he  was.  Not  wishing  to  give  out  a  bad  name 
on  her  daughter,  she  told  the  King's  son  that  she  had  a 
daughter  who  killed  herself  working  the  leelong  day  and 
refused  to  rest  when  her  mother  asked  her,  so  that  she  had 
always  to  be  beaten  before  she  would  stop. 

"What  work  can  your  daughter  do?"  the  Prince  asked. 

"  She  can  spin,  weave,  and  sew,  and  do  every  work  that 
ever  a  woman  did,"  the  mother  replied. 

Now,  it  so  happened  that  a  twelvemonth  before  the  Prince 
had  taken  a  notion  of  marrying,  and  his  mother,  anxious  he 
should  have  none  but  the  best  wife,  had,  with  his  approval, 

-[288] 


THE  FAIRY   RING 

sent  messengers  over  all  Ireland  to  find  him  a  woman  who 
could  perform  all  a  woman's  duties,  including  the  three  ac 
complishments  the  widow  named — spinning,  that  is,  weaving 
and  sewing.  But  all  the  candidates  whom  the  messengers  had 
secured  were  found  unsatisfactory  on  being  put  to  trial,  and 
the  Prince  had  remained  unwedded.  When,  now,  the  King's 
son  heard  this  account  of  Nabla  from  her  own  mother  he 
said: 

"  You  are  not  fit  to  have  the  charge  of  such  a  good  girl. 
For  twelve  months,  through  all  parts  of  my  mother's  kingdom, 
search  was  being  made  for  just  such  a  young  woman  that 
she  might  become  my  wife.  I'll  take  Nabla  with  me." 

Poor  Nabla  was  rejoiced  and  her  mother  astonished.  The 
King's  son  helped  Nabla  to  a  seat  behind  him  on  the  horse's 
back  and  bidding  adieu  to  the  widow,  rode  off. 

When  he  had  got  Nabla  home,  he  introduced  her  to  his 
mother,  telling  the  Queen  that  by  good  fortune  he  had  se 
cured  the  very  woman  they  had  so  long  sought  in  vain.  The 
Queen  asked  what  Nabla  could  do,  and  he  replied  that  she 
could  spin,  weave,  and  sew,  and  do  everything  else  a  woman 
should;  and,  moreover,  she  was  so  eager  for  work  that  her 
mother  was  beating  her  within  an  inch  of  her  life  to  make  her 
rest  herself  when  he  arrived  on  the  scene  at  Nabla's  own  cot 
tage.  The  Queen  said  that  was  well. 

She  took  Nabla  to  a  large  room  and  gave  her  a  heap  of 
silk  and  a  golden  wheel,  and  told  her  she  must  have  all  the 
silk  spun  into  thread  in  twenty-four  hours.  Then  she  bolted 
her  in. 

Poor  Nabla,  in  amazement,  sat  looking  at  the  big  heap  of 
silk  and  the  golden  wheel.  And  at  length  she  began  to  cry, 
for  she  had  not  spun  a  yard  of  thread  in  all  her  life.  As 
she  cried  an  ugly  woman,  having  one  of  her  feet  as  big  as  a 
bolster,  appeared  before  her. 

"  What  are  you  crying  for  ?  "  she  asked. 

Nabla  told  her,  and  the  woman  said,  "  I'll  spin  the  silk 
for  you  if  you  ask  me  to  the  wedding." 

"  I'll  do  that,"  Nabla  said.  And  then  the  woman  sat  down 

[289] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

to  the  wheel,  and  working  it  with  her  big  foot,  very  soon  had 
the  whole  heap  spun. 

When  the  Queen  came  and  found  all  spun  she  said :  "  That 
is  good."  Then  she  brought  in  a  golden  loom  and  told  Nabla 
she  must  have  all  that  thread  woven  in  twenty-four  hours. 

When  the  Queen  had  gone,  Nabla  sat  down  and  looked 
from  the  thread  to  the  loom  and  from  the  loom  to  the  thread, 
wondering,  for  she  had  not  in  all  her  life  even  thrown  a 
shuttle.  At  length  she  put  her  face  in  her  hands  and  began 
to  cry.  There  now  appeared  to  her  an  ugly  woman  with  one 
hand  as  big  as  a  pot  hanging  by  her  side.  She  asked  Nabla 
why  she  cried.  Nabla  told  her,  and  then  the  woman  said : 

"  I'll  weave  all  that  for  you  if  you'll  give  me  the  promise 
of  your  wedding." 

Nabla  said  she  would  surely.  So  the  woman  sat  down  to 
the  golden  loom,  and  very  soon  had  all  the  thread  woven 
into  webs. 

When  again  the  Queen  came  and  found  all  woven  she  said : 
"  That  is  good."  And  then  she  gave  Nabla  a  golden  needle 
and  thimble  and  said  that  in  twenty-four  hours  more  she 
must  have  all  the  webs  made  into  shirts  for  the  Prince. 

Again  when  the  Queen  had  gone,  Nabla,  who  had  never 
even  threaded  a  needle  in  all  her  life,  sat  for  a  while  looking 
at  the  needle  and  thimble  and  looking  at  the  webs  of  silk, 
and  again  she  broke  down,  and  began  to  cry  heartily. 

As  she  cried  an  ugly  woman  with  a  monstrously  big  nose 
came  into  the  room  and  asked : 

"Why  do  you  cry?" 

When  Nabla  had  told  her,  the  ugly  woman  said : 

"I'll  make  up  all  those  webs  into  shirts  for  the  Prince  if 
you  promise  me  the  wedding." 

"  I'll  do  that,"  Nabla  said,  "  and  a  thousand  welcomes." 

So  the  woman  with  the  big  nose,  taking  the  needle  and 
thimble,  sat  down,  and  in  a  short  time  had  made  all  the  silk 
into  shirts  and  disappeared  again. 

When  the  Queen  came  a  third  time  and  found  all  the  silk 
made  up  in  shirts  she  was  mightily  pleased  and  said : 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  You  are  the  very  woman  for  my  son,  for  he'll  never  want 
a  housekeeper  while  he  has  you/' 

Then  Nabla  and  the  Prince  were  betrothed,  and  on  the  wed 
ding  night  there  was  a  gay  and  a  gorgeous  company  in  the 
hall  of  the  castle.  All  was  mirth  and  festivity.  But  as  they 
were  about  to  sit  down  to  a  splendid  repast  there  was  a 
loud  knock  at  the  door.  A  servant  opened  it  and  there  came 
in  an  ugly  old  woman  with  one  foot  as  big  as  a  bolster  who, 
amid  the  loud  laughter  of  the  company,  hobbled  along  the  floor 
and  took  a  seat  at  the  table.  She  was  asked  of  which  party 
was  she,  the  bride  or  the  groom's,  and  she  replied  that  she 
was  of  the  bride's  party.  When  the  Prince  heard  this  he 
believed  that  she  was  one  of  Nabla's  poor  friends.  He  went 
up  to  her  and  asked  her  what  had  made  her  foot  so  big. 

"  Spinning,"  she  said,  "  I  have  been  all  my  life  at  the  wheel, 
and  that's  what  it  has  done  for  me." 

'  Then,  by  my  word,"  said  the  Prince,  striking  the  table  a 
great  blow,  "  my  wife  shall  not  turn  a  wheel  while  I'm  here 
to  prevent  it !  " 

As  the  quests  were  again  settling  themselves  another  knock 
came  to  the  door.  A  servant  opening  it,  let  in  a  woman  with 
one  hand  as  big  as  a  pot.  The  weight  of  this  hand  hanging 
by  her  side  gave  her  body  a  great  lean  over,  so  that  as  she 
hobbled  along  the  floor  the  company  at  the  table  lay  back, 
laughing  and  clapping  their  hands  at  the  funny  sight.  This 
woman,  taking  a  seat  at  the  table,  was  asked  by  whose  in 
vitation  she  was  there,  to  which  she  replied  that  she  was 
of  the  bride's  party.  Then  the  Prince  went  up  to  her  and 
inquired  what  caused  her  hand  to  be  so  big. 

"  Weaving,"  she  said.  "  I  have  slaved  at  the  shuttle  all 
my  life ;  that's  what  has  come  on  me." 

"  Then,"  the  Prince  said,  striking  the  table  a  thundering 
blow,  "by  my  word,  my  wife  shall  never  throw  a  shuttle 
again  while  I  live  to  prevent  it." 

A  third  time  the  guests  were  ready  to  begin  their  repast, 
when  again  there  came  a  knock  to  the  door.  Everyone  looked 
up;  and  they  saw  the  servant  now  admit  an  ugly  old  woman 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

with  the  most  monstrous  nose  ever  beheld.  This  woman 
likewise  took  a  chair  at  the  table.  She  was  then  asked  who 
had  invited  her — the  bride  or  the  groom.  She  said  she  was 
one  of  the  bride's  party.  Then  the  Prince,  going  up  to  her, 
asked  her  why  her  nose  had  come  to  be  so  very  big. 

"  It's  with  sewing,"  she  said.  "  All  my  life  I  have  been 
bending  my  head  over  sewing,  so  that  every  drop  of  blood 
ran  down  into  my  nose,  swelling  it  out  like  that." 

Then  the  Prince  struck  the  table  a  blow  that  made  the 
dishes  leap  and  rattle. 

"  By  my  word,"  he  said,  "  my  wife  shall  never  either  put 
a  needle  in  cloth  again,  or  do  any  other  sort  of  household  work 
while  I  live  to  prevent  it." 

And  the  Prince  faithfully  kept  his  word.  He  was  always 
on  the  lookout  to  try  and  catch  Nabla  spinning,  weaving,  or 
sewing,  or  doing  any  other  sort  of  work,  for  he  thought  she 
might  at  any  time  try  to  work  on  the  sly. 

Poor  Nabla,  however,  never  did  anything  to  confirm  his 
uneasiness,  but,  taking  her  old  mother  to  stay  in  the  castle 
with  her,  lived  happy  and  contented,  and  as  lazy  as  the  day 
was  long,  ever  after. 


Munachar  and  Manachar 

rHERE  once  lived  a  Munachar  and  a  Manachar,  a 
long  time  ago,  and  it  is  a  long  time  since  it  was,  and  if 
they  were  alive  now  they  would  not  be  alive  then. 
They  went  out  together  to  pick  raspberries,  and  as  many  as 
Munachar  used  to  pick  Manachar  used  to  eat.  Munachar 
said  he  must  go  look  for  a  rod  to  make  .a  gad  to  hang 
Manachar,  who  ate  his  raspberries  every  one;  and  he  came 
to  the  rod.  "  What  news  to-day?  "  said  the  rod.  "  It  is  my 
own  news  that  I'm  seeking.  Going  looking  for  a  rod,  a  rod 
to  make  a  gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my  rasp 
berries  every  one. 

[292] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  You  will  not  get  me,"  said  the  rod,  "  until  you  get  an 
ax  to  cut  me.'*  He  came  to  the  ax.  "  What  news  to 
day?"  said  the  ax.  "  It's  my  own  news  I'm  seeking.  Going 
looking  for  an  ax,  an  ax  to  cut  a  rod,  a  rod  to  make  a 
gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my  raspberries  every 
one." 

"  You  will  not  get  me,"  said  the  ax,  "  until  you  get  a 
flag  to  edge  me."  He  came  to  the  flag.  "  What  news  to 
day?  "  says  the  flag.  "  It's  my  own  news  I'm  seeking.  Going 
looking  for  a  flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax  to  cut  a  rod,  a  rod  to 
to  make  a  gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my  rasp 
berries  every  one." 

"  You  will  not  get  me,"  says  the  flag,  "  till  you  get  water 
to  wet  me."  He  came  to  the  water.  "  What  news  to-day  ?  " 
says  the  water.  "  It's  my  own  news  I'm  seeking.  Going  look 
ing  for  water,  water  to  wet  flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax  to  cut 
a  rod,  a  rod  to  make  a  gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who 
ate  my  raspberries  every  one." 

l<  You  will  not  get  me,"  said  the  water,  "  until  you  get  a 
deer  who  will  swim  me."  He  came  to  the  deer.  "  What  news 
to-day  ?  "  says  the  deer.  "  It's  my  own  news  I'm  seeking. 
Going  looking  for  a  deer,  deer  to  swim  water,  water  to  wet 
flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax  to  cut  a  rod,  a  rod  to  make  a  gad,  a 
gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my  raspberries  every  one. 

"  You  will  not  get  me/'  said  the  deer,  "  until  you  get  a 
hound  who  will  hunt  me."  He  came  to  the  hound.  "  What 
news  to-day?"  says  the  hound.  "It's  my  own  news  I'm 
seeking.  Going  looking  for  a  hound,  hound  to  hunt  deer, 
deer  to  swim  water,  water  to  wet  flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax 
to  cut  a  rod,  a  rod  to  make  a  gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar, 
who  ate  my  raspberries  every  one." 

"  You  will  not  get  me,"  said  the  hound,  "  until  you  get  a 
bit  of  butter  to  put  in  my  claw."  He  came  to  the  butter. 
"  What  news  to-day  ?  "  says  the  butter.  "  It's  my  own  news 
I'm  seeking.  Going  looking  for  butter,  butter  to  go  in  claw 
of  hound,  hound  to  hunt  deer,  deer  to  swim  water,  water  to 
wet  flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax  to  cut  a  rod,  a  rod  to  make  a 

[293] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my  raspberries  every 
one." 

"  You  will  not  get  me,"  said  the  butter,  "  until  you  get 
a  cat  who  shall  scrape  me."  He  came  to  the  cat.  "  What 
news  to-day?"  said  the  cat.  "  It's  my  own  news  I'm  seeking. 
Going  looking  for  a  cat,  cat  to  scrape  butter,  butter  to  go  in 
claw  of  hound,  hound  to  hunt  deer,  deer  to  swim  water,  water 
to  wet  flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax  to  cut  a  rod,  a  rod  to  make 
a  gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my  raspberries  every 
one." 

"  You  will  not  get  me,"  said  the  cat,  "  until  you  get  milk 
which  you  will  give  me."  He  came  to  the  cow.  "  What  news 
to-day? "  said  the  cow.  "  It's  my  own  news  I'm  seeking. 
Going  looking  for  a  cow,  cow  to  give  me  milk,  milk  I  will 
give  to  the  cat,  cat  to  scrape  butter,  butter  to  go  in  claw  of 
hound,  hound  to  hunt  deer,  deer  to  swim  water,  water  to 
wet  flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax  to  cut  a  rod,  a  rod  to  make  a 
gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my  raspberries  every 
one." 

"  You  will  not  get  any  milk  from  me,"  said  the  cow, 
"until  you  bring  me  a  whisp  of  straw  from  those  threshers 
yonder."  He  came  to  the  threshers.  "What  news  to-day?" 
said  the  threshers.  "  It's  my  own  news  I'm  seeking.  Going 
looking  for  a  whisp  of  straw  to  give  to  the  cow,  the  cow  to 
give  me  milk,  milk  I  will  give  to  the  cat,  cat  to  scrape  butter, 
butter  to  go  in  claw  of  hound,  hound  to  hunt  deer,  deer  to 
swim  water,  water  to  wet  flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax  to  cut  a 
rod,  a  rod  to  make  a  gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my 
raspberries  every  one." 

"  You  will  not  get  any  whisp  of  straw  from  us,"  said  the 
threshers,  "  until  you  bring  us  the  makings  of  a  cake  from 
the  miller  over  yonder."  He  came  to  the  miller.  "  What  news 
to-day  ?  "  said  the  miller.  "  It's  my  own  news  I'm  seeking. 
Going  looking  for  the  makings  of  a  cake  which  I  will  give 
the  threshers,  the  threshers  to  give  me  a  whisp  of  straw, 
the  whisp  of  straw  I  will  give  to  the  cow,  the  cow  to  give  me 
milk,  milk  I  will  give  to  the  cat,  cat  to  scrape  butter,  butter 

[294] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

to  go  in  claw  of  hound,  hound  to  hunt  deer,  deer  to  swim 
water,  water  to  wet  flag,  flag  to  edge  ax,  ax  to  cut  a  rod, 
a  rod  to  make  a  gad,  a  gad  to  hang  Manachar,  who  ate  my 
raspberries  every  one." 

"  You  will  not  get  any  makings  of  a  cake  from  me," 
said  the  miller,  "  till  you  bring  me  the  full  of  that  sieve  of 
water  from  the  river  over  there." 

He  took  the  sieve  in  his  hand  and  went  over  to  the  river, 
but  as  often  as  ever  he  would  stoop  and  fill  it  with  water, 
the  moment  he  raised  it  the  water  would  run  out  of  it  again, 
and  sure,  if  he  had  been  there,  from  that  day  till  this,  he 
never  could  have  filled  it.  A  crow  went  flying  by  him,  over 
his  head,  "  Daub !  daub !  "  said  the  crow.  "  My  blessings  on  ye, 
then,"  said  Munachar,  "  but  it's  the  good  advice  you  have  " ; 
and  he  took  the  red  clay  and  the  daub  that  was  by  the  brink, 
and  he  rubbed  it  to  the  bottom  of  the  sieve,  until  all  the 
holes  were  filled,  and  then  the  sieve  held  the  water,  and  he 
brought  the  water  to  the  miller,  and  the  miller  gave  him 
the  makings  of  a  cake,  and  he  gave  the  makings  of  the  cake 
to  the  threshers,  and  the  threshers  gave  him  a  whisp  of  straw, 
and  he  gave  the  whisp  of  straw  to  the  cow,  and  the  cow  gave 
him  milk,  the  milk  he  gave  to  the  cat,  the  cat  scraped  the 
butter,  the  butter  went  into  the  claw  of  the  hound,  the  hound 
hunted  the  deer,  the  deer  swam  the  water,  the  water  wet 
the  flag,  the  flag  sharpened  the  ax,  the  ax  cut  the  rod,  and 
the  rod  made  a  gad,  and  when  he  had  it  ready  to  hang 
Manachar  he  found  that  Manachar  had  BURST. 


The   Road  to   Fortune 

fine  morning  two  young  men  were  strolling  to- 
gether  through  the  fields,  when  they  perceived,  at  a 
great  distance,  a  very  high  hill,  on  the  top  of  which 
stood  a  beautiful  castle,  which  sparkled  so  brightly  in  the 
sunshine  that  the  youths  were  quite  delighted,  and  could  not 
help  gazing  at  it. 

[295] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Let  us  go  to  it,"  said  one  of  the  lads. 

"  It  is  easy  to  say,  '  Let  us  go/  but  how  can  we  walk  so 
far?"  retorted  the  other,  who  was  a  lazy  fellow. 

"You  may  do  it  easily,"  replied  a  clear  voice  behind 
them. 

On  looking  around  to  see  whence  these  words  came,  they 
perceived  a  beautiful  fairy  standing  on  a  large  ball,  which 
rolled  along  with  her  upon  it  in  the  direction  of  the  castle. 

"  It  is  no  very  difficult  task  for  her,  at  all  events.  Look, 
she  can  get  forward  without  moving  a  limb,"  said  the  lazy 
one,  throwing  himself  down  on  the  grass. 

The  other,  however,  was  not  so  easily  satisfied ;  for,  with 
out  stopping  to  reflect,  he  started  off  after  the  fairy  as  fast 
as  he  could  run,  and  catching  hold  of  the  skirts  of  her 
robe  cried,  "  Who  art  thou  ?  " 

"  I  am  Fortune,"  answered  the  fairy,  "  and  yonder  is  my 
castle — follow  me  there !  If  thou  readiest  it  before  midnight, 
I  will  receive  thee  as  a  friend;  but  remember,  shouldst  thou 
arrive  one  moment  later,  my  door  will  be  closed  against 
thee." 

With  these  words  the  fairy  drew  her  robe  from  the  hand  of 
the  young  man,  and  went  off  so  quickly  upon  her  ball  that 
she  was  soon  out  of  sight. 

The  youth  immediately  ran  back  to  his  companion  and  told 
him  all  that  had  happened,  adding :  "  I  intend  taking  the 
fairy's  advice.  Will  you  accompany  me  ?  " 

"  Are  you  mad  ?  "  inquired  the  other ;  "  for  my  part,  if  I  had 
a  good  horse  I  should  not  mind  the  journey,  but  as  for 
walking  all  that  way,  I  certainly  shall  not  attempt  it." 

"  Farewell  then,"  answered  his  comrade,  who  started  off  at 
a  brisk  pace  in  the  direction  of  the  castle. 

The  lazy  one,  however,  reasoned  thus  to  himself :  "  Exert 
yourself  as  much  as  you  please,  my  worthy  friend.  Good 
fortune  often  comes  while  we  are  dozing;  perhaps  it  may 
be  my  case  to-day."  And  without  more  ado  he  stretched 
himself  on  the  grass  and  fell  fast  asleep;  not,  however,  be 
fore  he  had  cast  a  longing  glance  at  the  beautiful  castle  on 

[296] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  hill.  After  sleeping  some  time  he  felt  as  though  there 
were  a  warm  wind  blowing  on  his  ear,  and  when  he  had 
stretched  his  slothful  limbs  and  rubbed  his  sleepy  eyes,  he 
perceived  a  beautiful  milk-white  horse,  ready  saddled,  stand 
ing  beside  him,  shaking  his  mane  and  neighing  lustily  in  the 
clear  morning  air.  , 

"Ah,  did  I  not  say  as  much?"  cried  the  youth.  "Oh, 
if  people  would  but  trust  to  Fate!  Come  here,  you  fine 
creature!  We  must  be  good  friends."  So  saying,  he  threw 
himself  into  the  saddle,  and  the  steed  galloped  off  with  him 
as  swift  as  the  wind.  Thus  mounted,  our  lazy  friend  very 
soon  overtook  his  industrious  companion,  and  hailing  him  as 
he  passed  cried :  "  Show  respect  to  my  horse's  heels !  "  The 
other,  however,  continued  on  at  a  steady  pace,  without  paying 
much  heed  to  his  satire. 

About  midday,  on  arriving  at  the  summit  of  a  beautiful 
hill,  the  horse  suddenly  stopped.  "  Quite  right,"  cried  his 
rider ;  "  I  find  you  are  a  very  sagacious  creature — '  soft  and 
fairly  '  is  a  good  proverb ;  the  castle  is  now  not  very  far  off, 
but  my  appetite  is  a  great  deal  nearer."  So  dismounting,  he 
sought  out  a  shady  slope,  and  having  laid  down  in  the  moss 
with  his  feet  against  the  stump  of  a  tree,  he  began  to  take 
some  refreshment — for  happily  he  had  a  good  supply  of  bread 
and  sausage  in  his  pocket,  and  a  pleasant  drink  in  his  flask. 
As  soon  as  the  youth  had  satisfied  his  appetite,  he  began  to 
feel  rather  drowsy,  and,  as  is  usual  with  indolent  people,  he 
gave  full  vent  to  the  inclination,  stretched  himself  on  the 
moss,  and  fell  into  a  sound  sleep.  Never  had  man  a  more 
pleasant  sleep,  nor  accompanied  with  more  delightful  dreams. 
He  imagined  that  he  was  already  in  the  castle,  reposing  on 
silken  cushions;  and  that  all  that  he  desired  came  to  him 
immediately  upon  his  beckoning  with  his  little  finger.  After 
thus  enjoying  himself  for  some  time,  it  seemed  as  though  a 
firework  went  off  with  a  great  explosion ;  this  was  followed 
by  strains  of  soft  music,  which  went  to  the  tune  of  a  song 
he  had  often  heard,  every  verse  of  which  terminated  with 
these  words: 

[297] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

"  Healthful  limbs  and  spirits  gay, 
Bear  the  traveler  on  his  way." 

This  continued  some  time,  when  he  awoke  with  the  song 
still  ringing  in  his  ears;  then  rubbing  his  eyes,  he  perceived 
that  the  setting  sun  was  fast  sinking  behind  the  castle,  and 
heard  the  voice  of  his  companion  singing  from  the  valley 
before  him  the  very  words  he  had  heard  in  his  dream. 

"  What  a  time  I  have  slept !  "  cried  the  lazy  fellow.  "  It 
is  high  time  that  I  was  getting  on  my  way.  Come  here,  my 
steed !  where  are  you  ?  "  But  no  steed  was  to  be  found ;  the 
only  creature  that  he  could  see,  after  looking  all  around,  was 
an  old  gray  donkey,  grazing  on  the  top  of  a  hill  at  some 
distance.  He  shouted  and  whistled  with  all  his  might,  but 
the  horse  was  gone  quite  out  of  hearing,  and  the  old  donkey 
did  not  seem  to  pay  the  least  attention.  So,  after  exerting 
his  lungs  to  no  purpose,  the  lazy  fellow  was  obliged  to  go 
and  try  to  make  friends  with  the  gray  old  beast,  which  al 
lowed  itself  to  be  quietly  mounted,  and  then  trudged  slowly 
on  with  him. 

But  our  youth  found  this  kind  of  traveling  very  different 
from  the  previous  stage,  for  then  he  not  only  proceeded  at 
a  much  quicker  pace,  but  had  a  more  comfortable  seat,  which 
was  by  no  means  an  unimportant  consideration  with  him. 
In  the  course  of  a  short  time  it  began  to  grow  dark,  and 
heavy  clouds  overspread  the  sky;  already  he  could  perceive 
that  the  castle  was  being  lighted  up,  and  now  he  began  to  be 
very  frightened  and  anxious  to  get  forward.  The  donkey, 
however,  did  not  seem  in  any  way  to  partake  of  his  feel 
ings,  but  continued  on  at  even  a  slower  pace  than  before. 
At  length  it  became  quite  dark,  and  the  donkey,  after  going 
slower  and  slower,  came  to  a  dead  stand  in  the  midst  of  a 
thick  wood.  All  his  entreaties  were  of  no  use,  nor  were 
threats  and  kicks  of  more  avail — the  donkey  would  not  move. 
At  last  the  rider  became  so  exasperated  that  he  struck  it 
with  his  fist ;  but  this  did  not  much  improve  our  lazy  friend's 
condition,  for  the  obstinate  brute  instantly  flung  up  its  hind 
legs,  and  by  that  process  released  itself  of  its  burden,  which 

[298] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

fell  heavily  on  the  ground.  It  required  much  less  violence 
than  our  youth  experienced  in  his  fall  to  prove  to  him  that 
he  was  not  lying  on  a  satin  couch,  for  his  legs  and  arms 
were  dreadfully  bruised.  He  remained  some  time  in  this 
miserable  plight,  but  the  bright  and  inviting  appearance  of 
the  lights  in  the  castle  at  length  attracted  his  attention. 
"  Ah !  "  thought  he,  "  what  beautiful  beds  must  there  be  in 
that  fine  building !  " 

This  thought  alone  aroused  for  a  moment  his  sluggish 
energies,  and  he  managed  to  get  on  his  feet.  "  Perhaps," 
thought  he,  "  the  gray  old  donkey  may  by  this  time  have 
got  into  a  better  temper."  So  he  searched  about  for  him  in 
every  direction ;  but  after  knocking  his  head  against  the 
trees  here,  tearing  his  face  with  the  thorns  there,  and  stum 
bling  over  roots  and  stones  for  a  full  quarter  of  an  hour 
without  finding  it,  he  gave  up  the  search  as  hopeless.  It 
was  high  time,  however,  that  he  made  some  effort  to  get 
out  of  this  dismal  wood,  which  every  now  and  then  re 
sounded  with  dreary  howls,  sounding  very  much  as  though 
they  proceeded  from  the  throats  of  hungry  wolves.  At  last, 
when  quite  bewildered  with  fear,  he  suddenly  stumbled 
against  something  soft  and  slimy ;  he  knew  by  the  touch 
that  it  was  not  the  donkey,  but  fancying  it  to  be  in  the 
form  of  a  saddle,  he  was  about  to  bestride  it  at  once ;  yet 
he  found  it  so  cold  and  damp  to  the  touch  that  he  quite 
shuddered  at  the  thought.  He  was  still  hesitating  when  the 
castle  clock  struck,  and  he  counted  eleven.  Recollecting  that 
it  was  drawing  near  to  the  eventful  time  and  that  he  had 
no  other  hope,  he  threw  himself  on  what  appeared  to  be  the 
saddle.  He  found  his  seat  tolerably  easy,  as  it  was  very 
soft,  and  at  his  back  was  something  to  lean  against ;  another 
great  advantage  was  that  the  creature  on  which  he  was 
mounted  seemed  to  be  very  surefooted ;  there  was,  however, 
one  great  objection  to  it,  and  that  was  the  creeping  pace 
at  which  it  moved,  for  it  went  along  much  slower  than  even 
the  obstinate  donkey. 

Proceeding   thus    for   some   time,   he   got    so   near   to   the 

[299] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

castle  that  he  could  count  the  windows,  and  in  this  occupa 
tion  he  was  engaged  when  suddenly  the  moon  shone  out 
from  between  the  clouds,  and,  oh,  horror!  what  did  he 
behold.  The  creature  on  which  he  sat  was  neither  a  horse 
nor  a  donkey,  but  an  enormous  snail,  quite  as  large  as  a 
calf,  and  its  house  which  it  carried  upon  its  back  had  served 
him  to  lean  against!  Now  he  could  well  understand  why  he 
had  come  at  such  a  creeping  pace.  He  turned  as  cold  as 
death,  and  his  hair  stood  on  end  with  fright!  But  there  was 
now  no  time  for  fear,  for  the  castle  clock  had  already  made 
the  woods  resound  with  the  first  stroke  of  the  midnight  hour, 
just  as  his  steed  crawled  out  from  the  wood.  Then  how  great 
was  the  young  man's  astonishment  when  he  beheld  the  castle 
of  Fortune  in  all  its  grandeur!  Hitherto  he  had  sat  quietly 
on  the  snail,  without  hastening  it,  or  in  any  way  interfering 
with  its  pace;  at  the  sight  of  the  castle,  however,  he  dashed 
both  his  heels  into  its  sides,  and  attempted  to  urge  it  on. 
To  this  treatment  the  snail  was  quite  unaccustomed,  and  in 
stantly  it  drew  its  head  into  its  shell  and  left  the  youth 
sprawling  on  the  ground.  The  castle  clock  rang  out  the 
second  stroke.  Had  the  lazy  fellow  but  mustered  up  resolu 
tion  and  trusted  to  his  feet  even  then,  he  might  have  reached 
the  castle  in  time.  But  no,  there  he  stood  crying  bitterly 
and  screaming  out :  "  A  beast !  a  beast !  of  whatever  kind  it 
may  be,  to  carry  me  to  yon  castle." 

The  inmates  of  the  building  had  already  begun  to  ex 
tinguish  the  lights,  and  the  moon  being  hidden  by  the  clouds, 
he  was  again  in  total  darkness.  As  the  clock  struck  the  third 
time  he  heard  something  moving  near  him,  and,  as  well  as 
he  could  make  out  in  the  dark,  it  seemed  like  a  saddled 
horse:  "Ah,  that  is  my  long-lost  steed,"  cried  he,  "that 
Heaven  has  kindly  sent  to  me  at  the  needful  moment ! " 
As  quickly  as  his  lazy  limbs  would  enable  him,  he  leaped 
on  the  back  of  the  creature.  There  was  now  only  a  little 
elevation  to  be  surmounted,  and  he  could  easily  see  his  com 
panion  standing  at  the  open  door  of  the  castle  waving  his 
cap  and  beckoning  him  on.  The  clock  chimed  out  the  fourth 

[300] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

stroke  when  the  creature  whereon  he  sat  began  to  move 
slowly ;  then  went  the  fifth  and  sixth  strokes,  and  it  began 
to  advance  a  little  at  a  very  awkward  pace;  at  the  seventh, 
the  creature  began  to  move,  first  sideways  and  then  went 
backward!  To  his  great  horror  and  surprise  the  rider  found 
that  he  could  not  throw  himself  off,  though  he  struggled  with 
all  his  might.  By  a  passing  ray  of  the  moon,  he  discovered 
that  the  new  steed  on  which  he  was  riding  was  a  horrid 
monster  with  ten  legs,  and  from  either  side  there  extended 
a  large  claw  with  which  it  held  him  fast  by  the  arms.  The 
youth  screamed  loudly  for  help,  but  all  to  no  purpose ;  the 
animal  still  kept  receding  farther  and  farther  from  the 
castle,  while  the  eventful  moment  approached  nearer  and 
nearer,  until  the  twelfth  stroke  proclaimed  the  midnight  hour. 
A  flitting  ray  of  the  moon  displayed  the  castle  once  more 
to  his  view  in  all  its  splendor.  But  in  the  same  moment 
the  youth  heard  the  door  shut,  and  the  rattling  noise  of 
chains  and  bolts.  The  entrance  to  the  castle  of  Fortune  was 
closed  against  him  forever!  The  moon  now  shone  again  in 
full  luster  and  discovered  the  horrid  monster,  that  still  kept 
carrying  him  away,  to  be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  an 
enormous  crab.  Where  he  went  to  on  this  uncommon  steed  I 
cannot  tell;  for  the  fact  is,  nobody  ever  troubled  themselves 
further  about  the  lazy  fellow. 


The   Golden   Crab 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  fisherman  who  had  a  wife 
and  three  children.  Every  morning  he  used  to  go  out 
fishing,  and  whatever  fish  he  caught  he  sold  to  the 
King.  One  day,  among  the  other  fishes,  he  caught  a  golden 
crab.  When  he  came  home  he  put  all  the  fishes  together  into 
a  great  dish,  but  he  kept  the  crab  separate  because  it  shone 
so  beautifully,  and  placed  it  upon  a  high  shelf  in  the  cup 
board.  Now,  while  the  old  woman,  his  wife,  was  cleaning 

[301] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

the  fish,  and  had  tucked  up  her  gown  so  that  her  feet  were 
visible,  she  suddenly  heard  a  voice,  which  said: 

"  Let  down,  let  down  thy  petticoat 
That  lets  thy  feet  be  seen." 

She  turned  around  in  surprise,  and  then  she  saw  the  little 
creature,  the  golden  crab. 

"  What !  You  can  speak,  can  you,  you  ridiculous  crab  ?  " 
she  said,  for  she  was  not  quite  pleased  at  the  crab's  remark. 
Then  she  took  him  up  and  placed  him  on  a  dish. 

When  her  husband  came  home  and  they  sat  down  to  din 
ner,  they  presently  heard  the  crab's  little  voice  saying :  "  Give 
me  some,  too."  They  were  all  very  much  surprised,  but 
they  gave  him  something  to  eat.  When  the  old  man  came 
to  take  away  the  plate  which  had  contained  the  crab's  dinner, 
he  found  it  full  of  gold,  and  as  the  same  thing  happened 
every  day  he  soon  became  very  fond  of  the  crab. 

One  day  the  crab  said  to  the  fisherman's  wife:  "Go 
to  the  King  and  tell  him  I  wish  to  marry  his  younger  daugh 
ter." 

The  old  woman  went  accordingly  and  laid  the  matter 
before  the  King,  who  laughed  a  little  at  the  notion  of  his 
daughter  marrying  a  crab,  but  did  not  decline  the  proposal 
altogether,  because  he  was  a  prudent  monarch  and  knew 
that  the  crab  was  likely  to  be  a  prince  in  disguise.  He  said, 
therefore,  to  the  fisherman's  wife :  f<  Go,  old  woman,  and  tell 
the  crab  I  will  give  him  my  daughter  if  by  to-morrow  morn 
ing  he  can  build  a  wall  in  front  of  my  castle  much  higher 
than  my  tower,  upon  which  all  the  flowers  of  the  world  must 
grow  and  bloom." 

The  fisherman's  wife  went  home  and  gave  this  message. 

Then  the  crab  gave  her  a  golden  rod  and  said :  "  Go  and 
strike  with  this  rod  three  times  upon  the  ground  on  the  place 
which  the  King  showed  you,  and  to-morrow  morning  the 
wall  will  be  there." 

The  old  woman  did  so  and  went  away  again. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  King  awoke,  what  do  you 

[302] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

think  he  saw  ?    The  wall  stood  there  before  his  eyes,  exactly 
as  he  had  bespoken  it! 

Then  the  old  woman  went  back  to  the  King  and  said  to 
him :  "  Your  majesty's  orders  have  been  fulfilled." 

"  That  is  all  very  well,"  said  the  King,  "  but  I  cannot  give 
away  my  daughter  until  there  stands  in  front  of  my  palace 
a  garden  in  which  there  are  three  fountains,  of  which  the 
first  must  play  gold,  the  second  diamonds,  and  the  third 
brilliants." 

So  the  old  woman  had  to  strike  again  three  times  upon 
the  ground  with  the  rod,  and  the  next  morning  the  garden 
was  there.  The  King  now  gave  his  consent,  and  the  wed 
ding  was  fixed  for  the  very  next  day. 

Then  the  crab  said  to  the  old  fisherman: 

"  Now  take  this  rod ;  go  and  knock  with  it  on  a  certain 
mountain;  then  a  black  man  will  come  out  and  ask  you  what 
you  wish  for.  Answer  him  thus:  *  Your  master,  the  King, 
has  sent  me  to  tell  you  that  you  must  send  him  his  golden 
garment  that  is  like  the  sun/  Make  him  give  you,  besides, 
the  queenly  robes  of  gold  and  precious  stones  which  are  like 
the  flowery  meadows,  and  bring  them  both  to  me,  and  bring 
me  also  the  golden  cushion." 

The  old  man  went  and  did  his  errand.  When  he  had 
brought  the  precious  robes  the  crab  put  on  the  golden  gar 
ment  and  then  crept  upon  the  golden  cushion,  and  in  this 
way  the  fisherman  carried  him  to  the  castle,  where  the  crab 
presented  the  other  garment  to  his  bride.  Now  the  ceremony 
took  place,  and  when  the  married  pair  were  alone  together 
the  crab  made  himself  known  to  his  young  wife,  and  told 
her  how  he  was  the  son  of  the  greatest  king  in  the  world, 
and  how  he  was  enchanted,  so  that  he  became  a  crab  by 
day  and  was  a  man  only  at  night  and  he  could  also  change 
himself  into  an  eagle  as  often  as  he  wished.  No  sooner  had 
he  said  this  than  he  shook  himself  and  immediately  became 
a  handsome  youth;  but  the  next  morning  he  was  forced  to 
creep  back  again  into  his  crabshell.  And  the  same  thing 
happened  every  day.  But  the  Princess's  affection  for  the 

[303] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

crab  and  the  polite  attention  with  which  she  behaved  to  him 
surprised  the  royal  family  very  much.  They  suspected  some 
secret,  but  though  they  spied  and  spied,  they  could  not  dis 
cover  it.  Thus  a  year  pased  away  and  the  Princess  had  a 
son,  whom  she  called  Benjamin.  But  her  mother  still 
thought  the  whole  matter  very  strange.  At  last  she  said  to  the 
King  that  he  ought  to  ask  his  daughter  whether  she  would 
not  like  to  have  another  husband  instead  of  the  crab.  But 
when  the  daughter  was  questioned  she  only  answered: 

"  I  am  married  to  the  crab,  and  him  only  will  I  have." 

Then  the  King  said  to  her :  "  I  will  appoint  a  tournament 
in  your  honor  and  I  will  invite  all  the  princes  in  the  world 
to  it,  and  if  any  one  of  them  pleases  you  you  shall  marry 
him." 

In  the  evening  the  Princess  told  this  to  the  crab,  who 
said  to  her :  "  Take  this  rod ;  go  to  the  garden  gate  and 
knock  with  it;  then  a  black  man  will  come  out  and  say  to 
you,  '  Why  have  you  called  me  and  what  do  you  require 
of  me  ?  '  Answer  him  thus :  '  Your  master  the  King  has  sent 
me  hither  to  tell  you  to  send  him  his  golden  armor  and  his 
steed  and  the  silver  apple.'  And  bring  them  to  me." 

The  Princess  did  so  and  brought  him  what  he  desired. 

The  following  evening  the  Prince  dressed  himself  for  the 
tournament.  Before  he  went  he  said  to  his  wife :  "  Now 
mind  you  do  not  say  when  you  see'  me  that  I  am  the  crab. 
For  if  you  do  this  evil  will  come  of  it.  Place  yourself  at 
the  window  with  your  sisters;  I  will  ride  by  and  throw  you 
the  silver  apple.  Take  it  in  your  hand,  but  if  they  ask  who 
I  am,  say  that  you  do  not  know."  So  saying,  he  kissed  her, 
repeated  his  warning  once  more,  and  went  away. 

The  Princess  went  with  her  sisters  to  the  window  and 
looked  on  at  the  tournament.  Presently  her  husband  rode 
by  and  threw  the  apple  up  to  her.  She  caught  it  in  her 
hand  and  went  with  it  to  her  room,  and  by  and  by  her 
husband  came  back  to  her.  But  her  father  was  much  sur 
prised  that  she  did  not  seem  to  care  about  any  of  the  princes ; 
he  therefore  appointed  a  second  tournament. 

[304] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

The  crab  then  gave  his  wife  the  same  directions  as  before, 
only  this  time  the  apple  which  she  received  from  the  black 
man  was  of  gold.  But  before  the  Prince  went  to  the  tourna 
ment  he  said  to  his  wife :  "  Now  I  know  you  will  betray 
me  to-day." 

But  she  swore  to  him  that  she  would  not  tell  who  he  was. 
He  then  repeated  his  warning  and  went  away. 

In  the  evening,  while  the  Princess,  with  her  mother  and 
sisters,  was  standing  at  the  window,  the  Prince  suddenly 
galloped  past  on  his  steed  and  threw  her  the  golden  apple. 

Then  her  mother  flew  into  a  passion,  gave  her  a  box  on 
the  ear,  and  cried  out :  "  Does  not  even  that  prince  please  you, 
you  fool  ?  " 

The  Princess  in  her  fright  exclaimed :  "  That  is  the  crab 
himself !  " 

Her  mother  was  still  more  angry  because  she  had  not  been 
told  sooner,  ran  into  her  daughter's  room  where  the  crab 
shell  was  still  lying,  took  it  up  and  threw  it  into  the  fire. 
Then  the  poor  Princess  cried  bitterly,  but  it  was  of  no  use; 
her  husband  did  not  come  back. 

Now  we  must  leave  the  Princess  and  turn  to  the  other 
persons  in  the  story.  One  day  an  old  man  went  to  a  stream 
to  dip  in  a  crust  of  bread  which  he  was  going  to  eat,  when 
a  dog  came  out  of  the  water,  snatched  the  bread  from  his 
hand,  and  ran  away.  The  old  man  ran  after  him,  but  the 
dog  reached  a  door,  pushed  it  open,  and  ran  in,  the  old 
man  following  him.  He  did  not  overtake  the  dog,  but  found 
himself  above  a  staircase,  which  he  descended.  Then  he 
saw  before  him  a  stately  palace,  and  entering,  he  found  in 
a  large  hall  a  table  set  for  twelve  persons.  He  hid  himself 
in  the  hall  behind  a  great  picture,  that  he  might  see  what 
would  happen.  At  noon  he  heard  a  great  noise,  so  that  he 
trembled  with  fear.  When  he  took  courage  to  look  out 
from  behind  the  picture  he  saw  twelve  eagles  flying  in. 
At  this  sight  his  fear  became  still  greater.  The  eagles 
flew  to  the  basin  of  a  fountain  that  was  there  and  bathed 
themselves,  when  suddenly  they  were  changed  into  twelve 

'[305] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

handsome  youths.  Now  they  seated  themselves  at  the  table, 
and  one  of  them  took  up  a  goblet  filled  with  wine  and  said, 
"  A  health  to  my  father ! "  And  another  said,  "  A  health 
to  my  mother ! "  and  so  the  healths  went  round.  Then  one 
of  them  said: 

"  A  health  to  my  dearest  lady, 

Long  may  she  live  and  well! 
But  a  curse  on  the  cruel  mother 
Who  burned  my  golden  shell!  " 

And  so  saying,  he  wept  bitterly.  Then  the  youths  rose  from 
the  table,  went  back  to  the  great  stone  fountain,  turned 
themselves  into  eagles  again  and  flew  away. 

Then  the  old  man  went  away  too,  returned  to  the  light  of 
day  and  went  home.  Soon  after  he  heard  that  the  Princess 
was  ill,  and  that  the  only  thing  that  did  her  good  was  having 
stories  told  to  her.  He  therefore  went  to  the  royal  castle, 
obtained  an  audience  of  the  Princess,  and  told  her  about 
the  strange  things  he  had  seen  in  the  underground  palace. 
No  sooner  had  he  finished  than  the  Princess  asked  him 
whether  he  could  find  the  way  to  that  palace. 

"  Yes,  certainly,"  he  answered. 

And  now  she  desired  him  to  guide  her  thither  at  once. 
The  old  man  did  so,  and  when  they  came  to  the  palace  he 
hid  her  behind  the  great  picture  and  advised  her  to  keep 
quite  still,  and  he  placed  himself  behind  the  picture  also. 
Presently  the  eagles  came  flying  in  and  changed  themselves 
into  young  men,  and  in  a  moment  the  Princess  recognized 
her  husband  among  them  all  and  tried  to  come  out  of  her 
hiding  place;  but  the  old  man  held  her  back.  The  youths 
seated  themselves  at  the  table;  and  now  the  Prince  said 
again,  while  he  took  up  the  cup  of  wine : 

"  A  health  to  my  dearest  lady, 

Long  may  she  live  and  well! 
But  a  curse  on  the  cruel  mother 
Who  burned  my  golden  shell!  " 

[306] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Then  the  Princess  could  restrain  herself  no  longer,  but  ran 
forward  and  threw  her  arms  around  her  husband.  And 
immediately  he  knew  her  again  and  said: 

"  Do  you  remember  how  I  told  you  that  day  that  you 
would  betray  me  ?  Now  you  see  that  I  spoke  the  truth.  But 
all  that  evil  time  is  past.  Now  listen  to  me:  I  must  still 
remain  enchanted  for  three  months.  Will  you  stay  here  with 
me  till  that  time  is  over?" 

So  the  Princess  stayed  with  him  and  said  to  the  old  man: 
"  Go  back  to  the  castle  and  tell  my  parents  that  I  am  staying 
here." 

Her  parents  were  very  much  vexed  when  the  old  man  came 
back  and  told  them  this,  but  as  soon  as  the  three  months 
of  the  Prince's  enchantment  were  over  he  ceased  to  be  an 
eagle  and  became  once  more  a  man,  and  they  returned  home 
together.  And  then  they  lived  happily,  and  we  who  hear 
the  story  are  happier  still. 


The    Table,   the   Ass,   and  the    Stick 


X^vNCE  upon  a  time,  a  long  time  ago,  there  lived  a 
f  i  Tailor  and  his  three  sons  ;  but  they  only  had  one  Goat, 
V-X^  which,  as  it  had  to  give  milk  enough  for  all,  had  to 
feed  well  every  day.  The  sons  had  to  lead  it  to  pasture  in 
turns,  and  one  morning,  when  it  was  the  turn  of  the  eldest, 
he  took  it  into  the  churchyard,  where  grew  the  richest  grass, 
and  let  it  eat  its  fill.  In  the  evening,  when  it  was  time  to 
return,  he  said: 

"  Goat,  have  you  eaten  well  ?  " 

And  the  Goat  answered  : 

"  Tis  said  that  enough  is  as  good  as  a  feast, 
And  I've  had  enough  for  a  wise  little  beast." 

"  Then  we  will  go  home,"  said  the  youth  ;  and  he  led  the 
Goat  home  by  its  halter,  and  tied  it  up  in  the  stable  for  the 
night. 

1307] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

"Well,"  said  the  Tailor,  "  has  the  Goat  eaten  well?" 
"  It  has  eaten  as  much  as  it  can,"  answered  the  boy. 
But  the  father  wanted  to  make  sure;  so  he  went  into  the 
stable  and  stroked  the  Goat,  saying: 
''Goat,  have  you  eaten  well?" 
The  wicked  Goat  replied : 

"  How  can  I  have  eaten  well  ? 
I  wandered  where  the  dead  lie, 
But  nothing  found  to  feed  upon." 

"  What  do  you  say  ?  "  cried  the  Tailor,  and  running  in  to 
his  son  he  cried,  "  Oh,  you  wicked  boy !  you  told  me  the 
Goat  had  eaten  well,  and  I  find  him  shivering  in  the  stable 
almost  famished ! "  and,  seizing  his  yard  measure,  he  chased 
the  boy  out  of  the  house  in  great  wrath. 

The  next  day  it  was  the  second  son's  turn,  and  he  chose 
a  place  under  the  hedge  in  the  garden  where  there  grew  some 
fine  rich  grass,  which  the  Goat  was  not  long  in  eating  up 
completely.  When  the  evening  came,  and  it  was  time  to 
go  home,  this  lad,  too,  asked  the  Goat  if  it  had  had  enough, 
and  it  answered  as  before: 

"  "Tis  said  that  enough  is  as  &ood  as  a  feast, 
And  I've  had  enough  for  a  wise  little  beast." 

"  Then  we  will  go  home,"  said  the  boy,  and  he  took  it  to 
the  stable  and  tied  it  up.  When  he  went  into  the  house, 
the  Tailor  met  him,  and  asked  him: 

"Has  the  Goat  eaten  well?" 

"  It  has  eaten  as  much  as  it  can,"  answered  his  son. 

But  the  Tailor  would  make  sure  for  all  that,  and  nothing 
would  satisfy  him  but  that  he  should  go  to  the  stable  and 
ask  the  Goat  for  himself. 

"  How  can  I  have  eaten  well  ? 
I  roamed  all  day  along  the  hedge, 
And  nothing  found  to  feed  upon," 

answered  the  Goat. 

"  You  bad  rascal,  to  starve  such  a  splendid  animal ! "  cried 

[308] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  Tailor,  running  back  to  the  house  and  catching  up  his 
yard  measure.  Then  with  cuffs  and  blows  he  chased  his  sec 
ond  son  out  of  the  house. 

The  next  day  it  was  the  third  boy's  turn,  and  he  found  a 
spot  where  there  was  some  lovely  young  grass;  and  when  it 
was  time  to  go  home,  he  asked  the  Goat  the  same  question, 
and  obtained  the  same  answer: 

"  'Tis  said  that  enough  is  as  good  as  a  feast, 
And  I've  had  enough  for  a  wise  little  beast." 

So  the  lad  led  the  Goat  home,  and  he  put  it  in  the  stable; 
and  soon  the  Tailor  came  and  asked  if  the  Goat  had  had 
enough. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  boy. 

But  the  old  man  would  go  and  make  sure  for  all  that. 

".How  can  I  have  eaten  well  ? 
I  sought  all  day  among  the  leaves, 
And  nothing  found  to  feed  upon," 

was  the  wicked  Goat's  answer. 

"  The  scamp !  "  cried  the  Tailor  in  a  fury ;  "  he  is  as  bad  as 
the  others,  and  out  he  shall  go !  "  and  he  drove  the  poor  boy 
out  with  the  yard  measure,  dealing  him  fearful  blows. 

Now  the  Tailor  was  left  alone  to  look  after  the  Goat,  and 
next  day  he  went  to  it  and  said: 

"  Come,  pretty  creature,  I  will  take  you  myself  to  pasture," 
and  he  took  it  to  the  lettuce  bed,  and  there  it  fed  all  day. 
When  night  came  he  asked  it,  as  the  boys  had  done,  if  it 
had  eaten  well,  and  it  said: 

"  'Tis  said  that  enough  is  as  good  as  a  feast, 
And  I've  had  enough  for  a  wise  little  beast." 

So  they  went  home,  and  he  put  it  in  the  stable;  but  as  he 
was  going,  he  said  once  more: 

"  Goat,  have  you  eaten  well  ?  " 

The  wicked  animal,  not  thinking  for  the  moment  to  whom 
he  was  replying,  answered  with  the  usual  complaint: 

[309] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  How  can  I  have  eaten  well? 
I  only  frisked  about  the  bed, 
And  nothing  found  to  feed  upon." 

When  the  old  man  heard  this  he  was  horrified,  for  he  saw 
at  once  how  things  had  stood  all  the  time,  and  that  he  had 
driven  his  boys  away  for  no  reason  whatever. 

"  Oh,  you  brute ! "  he  said.  "  You,  too,  shall  be  driven 
out;  and  I  will  take  care  that  you  never  dare  to  appear 
among  honest  tailors  again." 

So  he  rushed  into  the  house  for  his  razor,  and  shaved  the 
Goat's  head  as  smooth  as  your  face;  and  because  the  yard 
measure  was  too  good  to  use  upon  him,  he  fetched  his  whip 
and  gave  the  Goat  such  a  sound  thrashing  that  it  was  only 
too  glad  to  scamper  out  of  the  stable  and  make  off  as  fast  as 
its  legs  could  carry  it. 

When  the  Tailor  returned  into  his  house  he  was  overcome 
with  sorrow  for  the  three  sons  whom  he  had  driven  from 
home,  and  who  were  wandering  no  one  knew  where. 

However,  the  eldest  boy  had  apprenticed  himself  to  a  car 
penter,  and  he  worked  with  him  well  and  merrily  till  his  time 
was  Out.  Then  his  master  gave  'him  a  table,  which,  though 
it  looked  only  like  an  ordinary  common  wooden  one,  yet 
if  its  owner  stood  before  it  and  said,  "  Table,  Table,  spread 
yourself,"  it  at  once  became  covered  with  all  sorts  of  good 
things,  meat  and  wine  and  everything  necessary  for  a  splen 
did  meal. 

"  Now  I  shall  never  want  again,"  the  young  man  said  to 
himself,  and  he  went  on  journeying  merrily,  never  troubling 
himself  whether  his  lodging  was  good  or  bad,  or  whether 
there  was  anything  to  eat  or  not. 

Sometimes  he  did  not  go  to  an  inn  at  all,  but  just  stopped 
where  he  was,  under  a  hedge  or  in  a  wood,  and  there  he 
would  put  down  his  table  and  cry,  "Table,  Table,  spread 
yourself,"  and  then  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye  he  had  before 
him  as  much  as  he  liked  to  eat  and  drink. 

One  day  he  made  up  his  mind  to  turn  his  steps  homeward, 
as  his  father's  anger,  he  knew,  was  sure  to  have  died  down 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

by  then,  and  they  could  live  very  comfortably  together  with 
his  lucky  table.  It  happened  that  one  evening  he  came  to 
an  inn  that  was  full  of  people,  who  invited  him  to  eat  in 
their  company. 

"  No,  not  a  mouthful,  unless  you  consent  to  be  my  guests," 
answered  the  boy. 

The  people  of  course  laughed,  and  thought  he  was  joking; 
but  their  mirth  soon  changed  to  wonder  when  he  set  down 
his  table  in  their  midst,  and  saw  that  at  his  command,  "  Table, 
Table,  spread  yourself,"  it  at  once  covered  itself  with  all 
sorts  of  delicious  things,  quite  as  good  as  the  host  could  have 
given  them,  and  smelling  very  tempting  to  the  hungry  guests. 

"  Pray  be  seated,  friends,"  said  the  Carpenter  cheerily ;  and 
the  people,  seeing  he  really  meant  it,  sat  down  at  once  and 
began  to  ply  their  knives  and  forks  very  merrily. 

The  thing  that  surprised  them  the  most  was,  that  whenever 
they  emptied  one  dish,  another  full  one  always  appeared 
immediately  in  its  place;  and  the  innkeeper,  who  was  looking 
on,  said  to  himself,  "  My  friend,  you  could  do  very  well 
with  such  a  table  as  that  in  your  own  kitchen  " ;  but  he  kept 
his  own  counsel.  The  guests  sat  up  very  late  that  night, 
but  at  last  they  went  to  bed.  The  Carpenter  lay  down,  too, 
with  his  magic  table  beside  him. 

Now  the  landlord  couldn't  get  to  sleep  that  night  at  all 
for  thinking  and  wishing,  till  suddenly  he  remembered  that 
in  the  lumber  room  there  was  a  table  that  he  didn't  use,  and 
which  was  as  like  the  one  he  coveted  as  two  pins.  Breath 
lessly  and  very  cautiously  he  made  his  way  to  the  garret 
and  fetched  it,  and  put  it  beside  the  lad's  bed  in  place 
of  the  lucky  table,  which  he  carried  away  and  hid  in  a  safe 
place.  The  next  day  the  Carpenter  paid  for  his  lodging 
and  went  on  his  way,  not  noticing  any  difference  in  the  table, 
which  he  hoisted  on  his  back.  At  midday  he  reached  his  home, 
and  his  father  was  overjoyed  to  see  him. 

"  Well,  my  dear  boy,"  said  the  old  man,  "  what  have  you 
been  doing  all  these  months  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter,"  answered  the  lad. 

[311] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  And  a  very  good  trade,  too ;  and  what  have  you  brought 
home  with  you  ?  " 

"  The  most  wonderful  thing  I  ever  set  eyes  on,"  said  his 
son,  setting  down  the  table. 

"  Uhm !  I  don't  think  much  of  that ;  it  looks  a  very  com 
mon  piece  of  furniture,"  said  the  father,  looking  at  it  all 
around. 

"  But,"  cried  the  boy,  "  it  is  a  magic  table,  and  when  I  say, 
'  Table,  Table,  spread  yourself/  it  is  at  once  covered  with  good 
things,  which  will  make  your  mouth  water.  Invite  all  our 
friends  in,  and  you  will  see  what  a  feast  there  will  be." 

When  the  guests  had  all  arrived,  he  fetched  his  table, 
and  placing  it  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  he  commanded 
it  to  spread  itself.  But  the  table  remained  just  like  any 
other  table,  which  takes  no  notice  when  you  speak  to  it; 
and  the  poor  lad  saw  at  once  that  somebody  had  robbed  him. 
Of  course  the  guests  thought  he  was  an  impostor  and  laughed 
at  him,  and  went  home  without  any  feast,  to  the  poor  Car 
penter's  shame.  So  the  Tailor  had  to  take  up  his  needle 
again  and  stitch  away  as  fast  as  ever,  and  the  boy  had 
to  leave  home  again  and  work  for  another  carpenter. 

Meantime,  the  second  son  had  taken  service  with  a  miller, 
and  when  he  had  learned  everything,  his  master  said: 

"  Because  you  have  worked  for  me  faithfully  I  will  give 
you  this  ass,  which,  though  it  can  neither  draw  nor  carry, 
is  a  clever  beast,  nevertheless." 

"  What  can  it  do,  then?  "  said  the  boy. 

"  Why,  if  you  only  pat  it  and  cry  '  Bricklebit,'  gold  will  drop 
out  of  its  mouth  like  potatoes  into  a  sack,"  replied  the  Miller. 

"  That  is  grand,"  said  the  boy ;  so,  thanking  his  master, 
he  started  on  his  journey.  Now  he  was  rich,  for  he  only 
had  to  say  "  Bricklebit "  and  a  torrent  of  gold  pieces  came 
out  of  the  ass's  mouth,  and  were  there  for  the  picking  up. 
Wherever  he  went  he  ordered  the  best  of  everything,  and 
the  more  he  had  to  pay  for  it  the  better  he  was  pleased. 

Soon  he  got  tired  of  wandering  about  the  world  and 
thought  he  would  like  to  go  home  and  see  his  father,  whose 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

anger  had,  no  doubt,  died  down  by  this  time;  or,  if  not,  it 
certainly  would  when  he  saw  what  a  rich  ass  he  had  brought 
home  with  him. 

Now  it  chanced  that  he  came  to  the  very  same  inn  where 
his  brother  had  lost  his  table,  and  when  the  landlord  came 
out  and  offered  to  take  the  animal  to  the  stable  he  said :  "  No, 
I  will  take  him  myself,  for  I  want  to  see  where  he  goes." 

The  landlord  was  surprised,  but  thought  that  one  who  would 
look  after  his  own  beast  must  be  a  poor  man.  But  the  boy, 
putting  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  drew  out  two  gold  pieces, 
and  ordered  the  best  the  house  contained.  The  landlord  was 
very  much  astonished  indeed,  and  ran  and  fetched  him  the 
best  of  everything.  When  he  had  eaten  his  fill  the  boy  asked 
what  more  he  owed,  and  the  landlord,  being  a  greedy  man, 
said  that  two  more  gold  pieces  would  pay  the  bill.  The  youth 
put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and  found  it  empty. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  my  friend,  and  I  will  fetch  some  gold," 
he  said  carelessly,  and  picking  up  the  tablecloth,  he  went 
out. 

The  landlord  didn't  at  all  understand  what  was  going  on, 
but  being  inquisitive  he  crept  out  after  the  youth,  and  as  the 
stable  door  was  bolted  carefully,  the  landlord  had  to  glue 
his  eye  to  a  hole  in  the  wall.  Then  he  saw  the  boy  spread 
out  the  cloth  and  say  "  Bricklebit,"  and  immediately  gold  be 
gan  to  drop  out  of  the  ass's  mouth  in  showers,  as  if  it  were 
hailing. 

''Thunder  and  lightning!"  gasped  the  landlord,  running 
back  to  the  house,  "  did  one  ever  see  the  like  of  this !  Why, 
that  is  the  finest  and  fattest  purse  I  ever  set  eyes  on,  and  I 
must  see  what  I  can  do  to  obtain  it." 

Later  in  the  evening  the  lad  paid  his  bill  and  went  to  bed ; 
but  when  he  was  well  asleep,  the  wicked  landlord  crept  into 
the  stable  and  took  away  the  ass,  and  tied  up  an  ordinary 
one  in  its  stead. 

The  next  day  the  youth  went  on  his  way  with  the  ass, 
which  he  never  noticed  had  been  changed,  and  arrived  at  mid 
day  at  his  father's  house.  His  father  was  delighted  to  see 

[313] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

him  again,  and  asked  what  trade  he  had  learned.  The  boy 
told  him  that  he  was  a  miller. 

"And  what  have  you  brought  home  with  you?"  said  the 
old  man. 

"  Only  an  ass,"  replied  the  boy. 

"  Ah,  my  lad,  you  had  better  have  brought  a  goat.  We 
have  asses  enough  about  already." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  retorted  the  boy ;  "  but  wait  till  you  see 
what  this  ass  can  do.  I  have  only  to  say  '  Bricklebit '  and  gold 
drops  out  of  his  mouth  in  heaps.  Just  send  for  all  your 
friends,  and  we  will  make  them  rich  in  a  trice." 

"  Indeed,"  said  the  Tailor,  "  that  is  not  a  bad  idea.  If  what 
you  say  is  true,  I  shall  never  need  to  do  any  more  tailoring," 
and  he  hurried  out  and  gathered  all  his  friends  in. 

They  arrived  in  high  excitement,  as  you  may  be  sure,  and 
the  youth  bade  them  stand  in  a  circle  while  he  spread  out  a 
cloth  under  the  ass's  head. 

"  Now,"  he  said  proudly,  "  listen  to  me,"  and  he  called, 
"Bricklebit!" 

But  nothing  happened,  and  it  seemed  that  the  ass  could 
not  coin  gold  after  all ;  for  it  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  do,  as  you 
will  agree. 

The  poor  youth  was  very  rueful,  for  he  saw  that  some 
one  had  robbed  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  apologize  to  the 
guests,  who  only  sneered  and  jeered  at  him  and  departed 
as  poor  as  they  came. 

So  the  Tailor  had  to  take  up  his  needle  once  more  and  stitch 
away  as  fast  as  ever,  and  the  boy  had  to  go  and  work  for 
another  miller. 

Meantime,  the  third  son  had  apprenticed  himself  to  a 
turner.  But  it  takes  a  long  time  to  learn  to  be  a  turner, 
and  he  was  still  with  his  master  when  his  brothers  sent  a 
message  to  tell  him  how  they  had  fared,  and  all  about  the 
wicked  landlord  who  had  robbed  them  of  their  precious  be 
longings. 

Time  went  on,  and  soon  he  had  learned  everything,  and 
he  took  leave  of  his  master,  who  gave  him  a  sack,  saying: 

[314] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  In  the  sack  lies  a  stick." 

"  I  will  take  the  sack  gladly,"  said  the  youth,  "  for  it  will 
be  handy.  But  of  what  use  is  the  stick,  except  to  make  the 
sack  heavier  ?  " 

"  This  is  the  use  of  the  stick :  if  you  want  to  punish  any 
one  at  any  time,  you  have  only  to  say,  *  Come  forth,  Stick ! ' 
and  the  stick  will  slip  out  of  the  sack  and  lay  about  your 
enemy's  shoulders  in  such  a  lively  fashion  that  he  will 
be  as  quiet  as  a  tortoise  for  days  afterwards,  and  it  will 
not  cease  beating  till  you  say,  '  Stop,  Stick,  and  into  the 
sack!'" 

The  youth  thanked  him  and  went  on  his  way,  and  when 
any  rogue  interfered  with  him,  he  only  had  to  cry,  "  Come 
forth,  Stick !  "  and  out  it  came  and  gave  them  a  sound  thrash 
ing,  until  he  told  it  to  stop,  and  then  it  slipped  back  so  quickly 
that  nobody  saw  where  it  went. 

One  night  he  arrived  at  the  very  inn  where  his  brothers  had 
been  deceived,  and  putting  his  sack  on  the  table,  he  began  to 
boast  of  all  the  curious  things  he  had  seen. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  have  even  known  of  a  table  which 
covers  itself  with  food  and  wine  in  a  twinkling.  But  that 
is  not  all,  for  I  have  seen  an  ass  which  coins  gold,  and 
scores  of  other  wonderful  things  besides.  But,  when  all 
is  said  and  done,  none  have  compared  with  what  I  carry  in 
my  sack." 

The  landlord  opened  his  round  eyes,  saying: 

"  I  wonder  what  it  is?"  and  he  thought  to  himself:  "The 
sack  must  be  full  of  precious  stones.  I  must  get  hold  of  it, 
for  all  good  luck  runs  in  threes,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  I 
should  not  succeed  this  time  as  I  have  done  before." 

As  soon  as  it  was  time  to  go  to  bed  the  youth  lay  down  on 
a  bench  and  pillowed  his  head  on  his  sack,  and  when  the 
landlord  thought  he  was  fast  asleep  he  came  creeping  softly 
to  his  side  and  pulled  ever  so  gently  at  the  sack  to  see  if  he 
could  exchange  it  for  another  which  he  had  all  ready  in  his 
hand. 

However,  the  boy  was  only  waiting  for  this,  and  suddenly 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

he  called  out,  "  Come  forth,  Stick !  "  Immediately  it  sprang 
out  and  beat  the  landlord  right  merrily. 

The  landlord  howled  for  mercy,  but  the  Stick  only  hit  the 
faster,  till  at  last  the  rogue  fell  down  exhausted. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Turner,  ordering  the  stick  to  return  to  its 
bag,  "if  you  do  not  deliver  up  to  me  the  magic  table  and  the 
lucky  ass,  the  Stick  shall  begin  again." 

"  No,  no !  "  gasped  the  wretched  man.  "  I  will  give  them  up 
if  you  will  only  spare  me !  " 

"  I  will  pardon  you  if  you  keep  your  word,"  said  the  youth ; 
"  but  beware  if  you  try  to  deceive  me !  " 

Early  next  morning  the  Turner  went  on  his  way  with  the 
ass  and  the  table  to  his  father's  house.  When  he  arrived  his 
father  was  overjoyed  to  see  him,  and  asked  him  what  trade 
he  had  learned. 

"  Dear  father,"  he  said,  "  I  have  become  a  turner." 

"That  is  a  difficult  trade.  And  what  have  you  brought 
home  with  you  ?  " 

"  A  sack  and  a  stick,  and  a  very  valuable  stick,  too,"  said 
the  son. 

"  What !  "  cried  the  old  man.  "  A  stick !  Why,  you  can  cut 
a  stick  off  any  tree !  " 

"  Not  a  stick  like  this,  for  I  have  only  to  say,  '  Come  forth, 
Stick ! '  and  it  immediately  slips  out  and  lays  about  the  shoul 
ders  of  anyone  who  would  injure  me,  so  that  he  has  to  cry 
for  mercy.  By  the  aid  of  my  stick  I  have  got  back  the  magic 
table  and  lucky  ass  which  the  thief  of  a  landlord  stole  from 
my  brothers.  Now  send  for  them,  and  call  in  all  your  friends, 
and  I  will  give  them  a  feast  and  fill  their  pockets  with  money 
as  well." 

The  old  Tailor  could  scarcely  believe  him,  but  he  did  as  he 
was  told.  Then  the  youth  spread  a  cloth  on  the  floor  and 
brought  in  the  ass,  telling  his  brother  to  speak  to  it. 

The  Miller  called  out,  "  Bricklebit ! "  and  immediately  the 
gold  pieces  began  dropping  out  on  to  the  floor  in  showers, 
till  they  all  had  as  much  as  they  could  carry. 

Then   the  table  was  brought  in  and  the   Carpenter  said, 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  Table,  be  spread !  "  and  at  once  it  was  covered  with  all  sorts 
of  dainties.  Then  they  had  such  a  feast  as  the  Tailor  had 
never  seen,  and  they  all  remained  till  late  at  night  making 
merry. 

The  next  day  the  happy  Tailor  gathered  together  all  his 
needles  and  thread  and  measures  and  goose  and  put  them 
away,  and  he  lived  happily  with  his  sons  forever  after. 

Now  we  must  see  what  became  of  the  Goat,  whose  fault  it 
was  that  the  brothers  had  been  driven  away.  It  was  so 
ashamed  of  its  shaven  head  that  it  crept  into  a  fox's  hole  to 
hide  itself.  When  the  Fox  came  home  he  saw  two  great  eyes 
glittering  out  of  the  blackness,  and  he  was  so  terrified  that  he 
ran  away.  Soon  he  met  a  bear,  who,  noticing  how  frightened 
he  looked,  said: 

"  What  has  happened,  Brother  Fox,  to  make  you  look  like 
that?" 

"  Oh!  "  he  said,  "  in  my  lair  is  a  fearful  monster  that  rolled 
flaming  eyes  at  me." 

"  We  will  soon  turn  him  out,"  said  the  brave  Bear.  But 
when  he  looked  in,  he  also  was  terrified  at  the  glittering  eyes 
and  took  to  flight.  He  soon  met  a  bee,  and  seeing  that  it  was 
no  good  to  sting  him  through  his  thick  coat  she  said,  in 
friendly  fashion: 

"  You  look  very  solemn,  Mr.  Bear.  What  has  come  over 
you?  " 

"  Oh !  "  said  the  Bear,  "  in  Brother  Fox's  lair  is  a  fearful 
monster  which  rolls  flaming  eyes  at  us,  and  we  daren't  drive 
him  out." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Bear,"  said  the  Bee,  "  I  am  sorry  for  you,  and 
I  believe  I  can  help,  though  I  am  such  a  little  creature  that 
nobody  thinks  I  can  do  any  good  in  the  world." 

So  she  flew  off  to  the  Fox's  lair,  and  dropping  on  to  his  bald 
head,  stung  him  so  terribly  that  the  poor  Goat  rushed  out 
madly,  and  he  has  never  been  heard  of  since. 


THE   FAIRY  RING 
The  Little  Brother  and  Sister 

rHERE  was  once  a  little  Brother  who  took  his  Sister 
by  the  hand  and  said :  "  Since  our  own  dear  mother's 
death  we  have  not  had  one  happy  hour ;  our  stepmother 
beats  us  every  day,  and,  if  we  come  near  her,  kicks  us  away 
with  her  foot.  Our  food  is  the  hard  crusts  of  bread  which  are 
left,  and  even  the  dog  under  the  table  fares  better  than  we,  for 
he  often  gets  a  nice  morsel.  Come,  let  us  wander  forth  into 
the  wide  world."  So  the  whole  day  long  they  traveled  over 
meadows,  fields,  and  stony  roads,  and  when  it  rained  the  Sister 
said,  "  It  is  Heaven  crying  in  sympathy."  By  evening  they 
came  into  a  large  forest,  and  were  so  wearied  with  grief, 
hunger,  and  their  long  walk  that  they  laid  themselves  down 
in  a  hollow  tree  and  went  to  sleep.  When  they  awoke  the 
next  morning  the  sun  had  already  risen  high  in  the  heavens, 
and  its  beams  made  the  tree  so  hot  that  the  little  boy  said  to 
his  Sister,  "  I  am  so  thirsty ;  if  I  knew  where  there  was  a  brook 
I  would  go  and  drink.  Ah,  I  think  I  hear  one  running  " ;  and 
so  saying  he  got  up,  and  taking  his  Sister's  hand  they  went  in 
search  of  the  brook. 

The  wicked  stepmother,  however,  was  a  witch,  and  had  wit 
nessed  the  departure  of  the  two  children;  so  sneaking  after 
them  secretly,  as  is  the  habit  of  witches,  she  had  enchanted 
all  the  springs  in  the  forest. 

Presently  they  found  a  brook  which  ran  trippingly  over  the 
pebbles,  and  the  Brother  would  have  drunk  out  of  it,  but  the 
Sister  heard  how  it  said  as  it  ran  along,  "  Who  drinks  of  me 
will  become  a  tiger !  "  So  the  Sister  exclaimed :  "  I  pray  you, 
Brother,  drink  not,  or  you  will  become  a  tiger  and  tear  me  to 
pieces !  "  So  the  Brother  did  not  drink,  although  his  thirst 
was  so  great,  and  he  said,  "  I  will  wait  till  the  next  brook." 
As  they  came  to  the  second  the  Sister  heard  it  say,  "  Who 
drinks  of  me  becomes  a  wolf ! "  The  Sister  ran  up  crying : 
"  Brother,  do  not,  pray  do  not.  drink,  or  you  will  become  a 
wolf  and  eat  me  up !  "  Then  the  Brother  did  not  drink,  say- 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

ing :  "  I  will  wait  until  we  come  to  the  next  spring,  but  then  I 
must  drink,  you  may  say  what  you  will ;  my  thirst  is  much  too 
great."  Just  as  they  reached  the  third  brook  the  Sister  heard 
the  voice  saying :  "  Who  drinks  of  me  will  become  a  fawn — 
who  drinks  of  me  will  become  a  fawn !  "  So  the  Sister  said : 
"  Oh,  my  Brother !  do  not  drink,  or  you  will  be  changed  to  a 
fawn  and  run  away  from  me ! "  But  he  had  already  kneeled 
down  and  drank  of  the  water,  and,  as  the  first  drops  passed  his 
lips,  his  shape  became  that  of  a  fawn. 

At  first  the  Sister  cried  over  her  little  changed  Brother,  and 
he  wept  too,  and  knelt  by  her  very  sorrowful ;  but  at  last  the 
maiden  said,  "  Be  still,  dear  little  Fawn,  and  I  will  never  for 
sake  you  " ;  and,  undoing  her  golden  garter,  she  put  it  around 
his  neck,  and  weaving  rushes  made  a  white  girdle  to  lead  him 
with.  This  she  tied  to  him,  and,  taking  the  other  end  in  her 
hand  she  led  him  away,  and  they  traveled  deeper  and  deeper 
into  the  forest.  After  they  had  walked  a  long  distance  they 
came  to  a  little  hut,  and  the  maiden,  peeping  in,  found  it 
empty,  and  thought,  "  Here  we  can  stay  and  dwell."  Then 
she  looked  for  leaves  and  moss  to  make  a  soft  couch  for  the 
Fawn,  and  every  morning  she  went  out  and  collected  roots 
and  berries  and  nuts  for  herself  and  tender  grass  for  the  Fawn, 
which  he  ate  out  of  her  hand,  and  played  happily  around  her. 
In  the  evening,  when  the  Sister  was  tired  and  had  said  her 
prayers,  she  laid  her  head  upon  the  back  of  the  Fawn,  which 
served  for  a  pillow,  on  which  she  slept  soundly.  Had  but  the 
Brother  regained  his  own  proper  form,  their  life  would  have 
been  happy  indeed. 

Thus  they  dwelt  in  this  wilderness,  and  some  time  had 
elapsed,  when  it  happened  that  the  King  of  the  country  held  a 
great  hunt  in  the  forest ;  and  now  resounded  through  the  trees 
the  blowing  of  horns,  the  barking  of  dogs,  and  the  lusty  cries 
of  the  hunters,  so  that  the  little  Fawn  heard  them  and  wanted 
very  much  to  join.  "  Ah !  "  said  he  to  his  Sister,  "  let  me  go 
to  the  hunt,  I  cannot  restrain  myself  any  longer";  and  he 
begged  so  hard  that  at  last  she  consented.  "  But,"  said  she 
to  him,  "  return  again  in  the  evening,  for  I  shall  shut  my  door 

[319] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

against  the  wild  huntsmen,  and,  that  I  may  know  you,  do  you 
knock  and  say,  '  Sister,  let  me  in/  and  if  you  do  not  speak 
I  shall  not  open  the  door."  As  soon  as  she  had  said  this,  the 
little  Fawn  sprang  off,  quite  glad  and  merry  in  the  fresh 
breeze.  The  King  and  his  huntsmen  perceived  the  beautiful 
animal,  and  pursued  him;  but  they  could  not  catch  him,  and 
when  they  thought  they  had  him  for  certain  he  sprang  away 
over  the  bushes  and  got  out  of  sight.  Just  as  it  was  getting 
dark  he  ran  up  to  the  hut,  and,  knocking,  said,  "  Sister  mine, 
let  me  in."  Then  she  undid  the  little  door,  and  he  went  in 
and  rested  all  night  long  upon  his  soft  couch.  The  next  morn 
ing  the  hunt  was  commenced  again,  and  as  soon  as  the  little 
Fawn  heard  the  horns  and  the  tallyho  of  the  sportsmen  he 
could  not  rest,  and  said,  "  Sister,  dear,  open  the  door,  I  must 
be  off."  The  Sister  opened  it,  saying,  "  Return  at  evening, 
mind,  and  say  the  words  as  before."  When  the  King  and  his 
huntsmen  saw  again  the  Fawn  with  the  golden  necklace,  they 
followed  him  closely,  but  he  was  too  nimble  and  quick  for 
them.  The  whole  day  long  they  kept  up  with  him,  but  to 
ward  evening  the  huntsmen  made  a  circle  around  him,  and 
one  wounded  him  slightly  in  the  hind  foot,  so  that  he  could 
only  run  slowly.  Then  one  of  them  slipped  after  him  to  the 
little  hut,  and  heard  him  say,  "  Sister,  dear,  open  the  door," 
and  saw  that  the  door  was  opened  and  immediately  shut  be 
hind.  The  huntsman,  having  observed  all  this,  went  and  told 
the  King  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  and  he  said,  "  On  the 
morrow  I  will  once  more  pursue  him." 

The  Sister,  however,  was  terribly  frightened  when  she  saw 
that  her  Fawn  was  wounded,  and  washing  off  the  blood  she 
put  herbs  upon  the  foot  and  said :  "  Go  and  rest  upon  your  bed, 
dear  Fawn,  that  the  wound  may  heal."  It  was  so  slight  that 
the  next  morning  he  felt  nothing  of  it,  and  when  he  heard 
the  hunting  cries  outside  he  exclaimed :  "  I  cannot  stop  away 
— I  must  be  there,  and  none  shall  catch  me  so  easily  again ! " 
The  Sister  wept  very  much  and  told  him :  "  Soon  they  will 
kill  you,  and  I  shall  be  here  all  alone  in  this  forest,  forsaken 
by  all  the  world.  I  cannot  let  you  go." 

[320] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  I  shall  die  here  in  vexation,"  answered  the  Fawn,  "  if  you 
do  not,  for  when  I  hear  the  horn  I  think  I  shall  jump  out  of 
my  skin."  The  Sister,  finding  she  could  not  prevent  him, 
opened  the  door  with  a  heavy  heart,  and  the  Fawn  jumped 
out,  quite  delighted,  into  the  forest.  As  soon  as  the  King 
perceived  him  he  said  to  his  huntsmen :  "  Follow  him  all  day 
long  till  the  evening,  but  let  no  one  do  him  an  injury."  When 
the  sun  had  set,  the  King  asked  his  huntsmen  to  show  him  the 
hut ;  and  as  they  came  to  it,  he  knocked  at  the  door  and  said, 
"  Let  me  in,  dear  Sister."  Then  the  door  was  opened,  and 
stepping  in  the  King  saw  a  maiden  more  beautiful  than  he 
had  ever  before  seen.  She  was  frightened  when  she  saw  not 
her  Fawn,  but  a  man  step  in  who  had  a  golden  crown  upon 
his  head.  But  the  King,  looking  at  her  with  a  friendly  glance, 
reached  her  his  hand,  saying,  "  Will  you  go  with  me  to  my 
castle  and  be  my  dear  wife?  "  "  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  maiden ; 
"  but  the  Fawn  must  go  too ;  him  I  will  never  forsake."  The 
King  replied :  "  He  shall  remain  with  you  as  long  as  you  live, 
and  shall  want  for  nothing."  In  the  meantime  the  Fawn  had 
come  in,  and  the  Sister,  binding  the  girdle  to  him,  again  took 
it  in  her  hand,  and  led  him  away  with  her  out  of  the  hut. 

The  King  took  the  beautiful  maiden  upon  his  horse,  and 
rode  to  his  castle,  where  the  wedding  was  celebrated  with 
great  splendor,  and  she  became  Queen,  and  they  lived  together 
a  long  time ;  while  the  Fawn  was  taken  care  of  and  lived  well, 
playing  about  the  castle  garden.  The  wicked  stepmother, 
however,  on  whose  account  the  children  had  wandered  forth 
into  the  world,  supposed  that  long  ago  the  Sister  had  been 
torn  in  pieces  by  the  wild  beasts,  and  the  little  Brother  hunted 
to  death  in  his  Fawn's  shape  by  the  hunters.  As  soon,  there 
fore,  as  she  heard  how  happy  they  had  become,  and  how  every 
thing  prospered  with  them,  envy  and  jealousy  were  roused  in 
her  heart  and  left  her  no  peace,  and  she  was  always  thinking 
in  what  way  she  could  work  misfortune  to  them.  Her  own 
daughter,  who  was  as  ugly  as  night  and  had  but  one  eye,  for 
which  she  was  continually  reproached,  said,  "  The  luck  of 
being  a  queen  has  never  yet  happened  to  me." 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Be  quiet  now,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  and  make  yourself 
contented.  When  the  time  comes,  I  shall  be  at  hand."  As 
soon,  then,  as  the  time  came  when  the  Queen  brought  into  the 
world  a  beautiful  little  boy,  which  happened  when  the  King 
was  out  hunting,  the  old  witch  took  the  form  of  a  chamber 
maid,  and  got  into  the  room  where  the  Queen  was  lying,  and 
said  to  her:  "  The  bath  is  ready  which  will  restore  you  and  give 
you  fresh  strength;  be  quick,  before  it  gets  cold."  Her  daugh 
ter  being  at  hand,  they  carried  the  weak  Queen  between  them 
into  the  room,  and  laid  her  in  the  bath,  and  then,  shutting  the 
door,  they  ran  off ;  but  first  they  had  made  an  immense  fire  in 
the  stove,  which  must  soon  suffocate  the  young  Queen. 

When  this  was  done  the  old  woman  took  her  daughter,  and 
putting  a  cap  on  her,  laid  her  in  the  bed  in  the  Queen's  place. 
She  gave  her,  too,  the  form  and  appearance  of  the  real  Queen 
as  far  as  she  could ;  but  she  could  not  restore  the  lost  eye,  and 
so  that  the  King  might  not  notice  it,  she  turned  upon  that  side 
where  there  was  no  eye.  When  he  came  home  at  evening  and 
heard  that  a  son  was  born  to  him,  he  was  much  delighted, 
and  prepared  to  go  to  his  wife's  bedside  to  see  how  she  did. 
So  the  old  woman  called  out  in  a  great  hurry :  "  For  your  life, 
do  not  undraw  the  curtains ;  the  Queen  must  not  yet  see  the 
light,  and  must  be  kept  quiet."  So  the  King  went  away,  and 
did  not  discover  that  a  false  Queen  was  laid  in  the  bed. 

When  midnight  came  and  everyone  was  asleep,  the  nurse, 
who  sat  by  herself,  wide  awake,  near  the  cradle  in  the  nur 
sery,  saw  the  door  open  and  the  true  Queen  come  in.  She 
took  the  child  in  her  arms  and  rocked  it  awhile,  and  then, 
shaking  up  its  pillow,  laid  it  down  in  its  cradle  and  covered 
it  over  again.  She  did  not  forget  the  Fawn  either,  but  going 
to  the  corner  where  he  was,  stroked  his  back,  and  then  went 
silently  out  at  the  door.  The  nurse  asked  in  the  morning  of 
the  guards  if  anyone  had  passed  into  the  castle  during  the 
night,  but  they  answered,  "  No,  we  have  seen  nobody."  For 
many  nights  afterwards  she  came  constantly,  and  never  spoke 
a  word ;  and  the  nurse  saw  her  always,  but  she  would  not  trust 
herself  to  speak  about  it  to  anyone. 

[322] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

When  some  time  had  passed  away,  the  Queen  one  night 
began  to  speak,  and  said : 

"  How  fares  my  child,  how  fares  my  Fawn? 
Twice  more  will  I  come,  but  never  again." 

The  nurse  made  no  reply ;  but,  when  she  had  disappeared,  went 
to  the  King  and  told  him  all.  The  King  exclaimed :  "  Oh, 
heavens !  what  does  this  mean  ?  The  next  night  I  will  watch 
myself  by  the  child."  In  the  evening  he  went  into  the  nur 
sery,  and  about  midnight  the  Queen  appeared  and  said: 

"  How  fares  my  child,  how  fares  my  Fawn? 
Once  more  will  I  come,  but  never  again." 

And  she  nursed  the  child  as  she  was  used  to  do,  and  then  dis 
appeared.  The  King  dared  not  speak,  but  he  watched  the  fol 
lowing  night,  and  this  time  she  said : 

"  How  fares  my  child,  how  fares  my  Fawn  ? 
This  time  have  I  come,  but  never  again." 

At  these  words  the  King  could  hold  back  no  longer,  but 
sprang  up  and  said,  "  You  can  be  no  other  than  my  dear  wife !  " 
Then  she  answered,  "  Yes,  I  am  your  dear  wife  " ;  and  at  that 
moment  her  life  was  restored  by  God's  mercy,  and  she  was 
again  as  beautiful  and  charming  as  ever.  She  told  the  King 
the  fraud  which  the  'witch  and  her  daughter  had  practiced 
upon  him,  and  he  had  them  both  tried  and  sentence  pronounced 
against  them.  The  daughter  was  taken  into  the  forest,  where 
the  wild  beasts  tore  her  in  pieces,  but  the  old  witch  was  led 
to  the  fire  and  miserably  burned.  And  as  soon  as  she  was 
reduced  to  ashes  the  little  Fawn  was  unbewitched,  and  re 
ceived  again  his  human  form  ;  and  the  Brother  and  Sister  lived 
happily  together  to  the  end  of  their  days. 


[323] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 
The    Old  Griffin 

rHERE  was  once  a  king,  but  where  he  reigned  and 
how  he  was  called  I  know  nothing  about.  He  had  no 
son,  only  a  daughter,  who  was  always  ill,  and  no  doc 
tor  could  cure  her;  but  it  was  prophesied  to  the  King  that 
his  daughter  would  eat  herself  well  with  an  apple.  So  he 
made  it  known  all  over  the  kingdom  that  whoever  brought  his 
daughter  some  apples  with  which  she  could  eat  herself  well 
should  marry  her  and  be  King.  Now  a  peasant  who  had  three 
sons  heard  of  it ;  and  he  said  to  the  eldest :  "  Go  to  the  garden, 
take  a  basketful  of  those  beautiful  apples  with  the  red  cheeks, 
and  carry  them  to  the  court.  Perhaps  the  King's  daugh 
ter  will  be  able  to  eat  herself  well  with  them,  and  then  you 
can  marry  her  and  be  King."  The  chap  did  as  he  was  bid 
and  took  to  the  road.  When  he  had  walked  a  little  while  he 
met  quite  a  little  iron  man,  who  asked  him  what  he  had  in  his 
basket.  So  Hele,  for  that  was  his  name,  said,  "  Frogs'  legs !  " 
The  Little  Man  then  said,  "  Well,  so  it  shall  be  and  remain  " ; 
and  then  went  on.  At  last  Hele  came  to  the  castle,  and  had 
it  announced  that  he  had  some  apples  which  would  cure  the 
Princess  if  she  ate  them.  At  that  the  King  was  mightily 
pleased,  and  received  Hele  in  court.  Oh,  dear!  when  he 
opened  it,  instead  of  apples  he  had  frogs'  legs  in  the  basket, 
and  they  were  kicking  about  still.  The  King  flew  into  a  great 
rage,  and  had  him  kicked  out  of  the  castle.  When  he  got 
home  he  told  his  father  how  he  had  fared.  Then  the  father 
sent  his  next  son,  whose  name  was  Saeme,  but  it  went  just  the 
same  with  him  as  with  Hele.  The  little  Iron  Man  met  him  very 
soon,  and  asked  him  what  he  had  in  the  basket,  and  Saeme 
said,  "Sow-thistles";  and  the  Little  Man  said,  "Well,  so  it 
shall  be  and  remain."  When  he  arrived  at  the  King's  castle, 
and  said  he  had  apples  with  which  the  King's  daughter  could 
eat  herself  well,  they  would  not  let  him  in,  and  told  him  there 
had  already  been  one  who  had  made  fools  of  them.  But  Saeme 
insisted  he  had  really  such  apples ;  they  should  only  let  him  in. 

[324] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

At  last  they  believed  him  and  took  him  before  the  King;  but 
when  he  opened  the  basket  he  had  nothing  but  sow-thistles. 
That  annoyed  the  King  most  dreadfully,  so  that  he  had  Saeme 
whipped  out  of  the  castle.  When  he  got  home  he  told  them 
what  had  happened  to  him,  and  then  came  the  youngest  boy, 
whom  they  had  always  called  Stupid  Jack,  and  asked  the  father 
whether  he,  too,  might  go  with  apples.  "  Yes,"  said  the  father, 
"  you  are  just  the  right  sort  of  fellow ;  if  the  clever  ones  can't 
succeed,  what  will  you  be  able  to  do  ?  "  The  boy  did  not  be 
lieve  it.  "  Well,  father,  I  will  go  too."  "  Get  away,  you 
stupid  chap !  "  said  the  father ;  "  you  must  wait  till  you  grow 
wiser  " ;  and  then  he  turned  his  back  upon  him ;  but  the  boy 
tugged  at  his  smock  frock  behind  and  said,  "  Now,  father, 
I  will  go  too."  "  Well,  just  as  you  like;  go — you  will  be  sure 
to  come  back,"  he  answered  in  a  spiteful  way.  The  boy  was 
beyond  measure  delighted,  and  jumped  for  joy.  "Aye,  there! 
act  like  a  fool !  You  get  stupider  from  one  day  to  the  next," 
said  the  father.  That  did  not  affect  Jack  a  bit,  who  would 
not  be  disturbed  in  his  joy.  As  night  soon  came  on,  he  thought 
he  would  wait  till  the  next  morning;  anyhow,  he  would  not  be 
able  to  get  to  court  that  day.  He  could  not  sleep  that  night 
in  bed,  and  when  he  only  slumbered  a  little  he  dreamed  of 
beautiful  maidens,  of  castles,  gold,  silver,  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing.  Early  next  morning  he  went  his  way,  and  soon  the 
Little  Man  in  his  iron  dress  met  him  and  asked  him  what  he 
had  in  the  basket.  "  Apples,"  he  answered,  "  with  which  the 
King's  daughter  can  eat  herself  well."  "Well,"  said  the 
Little  Man,  "  such  it  shall  be  and  remain."  But  at  court  they 
would  not  let  Jack  in  at  all ;  for  that  there  had  been  two  who 
had  said  they  brought  apples,  and  one  had  frogs'  legs  and  the 
other  sow-thistles.  But  Jack  insisted  tremendously  he  had 
no  frogs'  legs,  but  the  most  beautiful  apples  that  grew  in  the 
kingdom.  As  he  spoke  so  nicely  the  doorkeeper  thought  he 
could  not  be  telling  a  lie,  and  let  him  in ;  and  they  did  quite 
right,  too,  for  when  Jack  uncovered  the  basket  before  the 
King,  apples  as  yellow  as  gold  came  tumbling  out.  The  King 
was  delighted,  and  had  some  of  them  taken  to  his  daughter 

[325] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

at  once,  and  waited  in  anxious  expectation  until  they  should 
bring  him  word  what  effect  they  had.  Not  long  after  news  was 
brought  him ;  but  what  think  you  it  was  ?  It  was  the  daugh 
ter  herself!  As  soon  as  she  had  eaten  of  those  apples  she  had 
jumped  out  of  bed  quite  well.  What  the  King's  delight  was 
cannot  be  described. 

But  now  the  King  would  not  give  Jack  his  daughter  to 
marry,  and  said  that  he  must  first  make  him  a  boat  that  would 
swim  better  on  land  than  in  the  water.  Jack  agreed  to  the 
condition  and  went  home  and  told  his  adventures.  So  the 
father  sent  Hele  into  the  wood  to  make  such  a  boat;  he 
worked  away  diligently,  and  whistled  the  while.  At  midday, 
when  the  sun  was  at  the  highest,  came  the  little  Iron  Man 
and  asked  what  he  was  making.  "  Wooden  bowls,"  answered 
he.  The  Little  Man  answered,  "  Well,  so  it  shall  be  and  re 
main."  In  the  evening  Hele  thought  he  had  made  the  boat, 
but  when  he  was  going  to  get  into  it,  it  turned  to  wooden 
bowls.  The  next  day  Saeme  went  into  the  wood,  but  he  met 
with  exactly  the  same  fate  as  his  brother.  On  the  third  day 
Stupid  Jack  went.  He  worked  very  hard,  so  that  the  wood 
resounded  all  through  with  his  heavy  blows,  and  he  sang  and 
whistled  besides  right  merrily.  The  Little  Man  came  to  him 
at  midday  when  it  was  very  warm,  and  asked  him  what  he  was 
making.  "  A  boat  that  will  swim  better  on  dry  land  than  in 
the  water,"  he  answered,  "  and  that  when  he  had  done  it  he 
should  marry  the  King's  daughter."  "Well,"  said  the  Little 
Man,  "  such  an  one  it  shall  be  and  remain."  In  the  evening 
when  the  sun  was  setting  like  a  ball  of  gold,  Jack  made  ready 
his  boat  and  all  things  belonging  to  it,  and  rowed  toward  the 
castle ;  but  the  boat  went  as  fast  as  the  wind.  The  King  saw 
it  a  long  way  off,  but  would  not  give  Jack  his  daughter  yet, 
and  said  he  must  first  take  a  hundred  hares  out  grazing  from 
early  morning  to  late  in  the  evening,  and  if  one  were  missing 
he  should  not  have  his  daughter.  Jack  was  quite  contented, 
and  the  next  day  went  out  with  his  herd  to  the  meadow,  and 
kept  a  sharp  lookout  that  none  should  stray  away.  Not  many 
hours  had  passed  when  a  maid  came  front  the  castle,  and 

[326] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

said  Jack  was  to  give  her  a  hare  directly,  as  some  visitors  had 
arrived.  But  Jack  saw  through  that  well  enough,  and  said  he 
would  not  give  her  one ;  the  King  might  treat  his  visitors  to 
hare  pepper.  But  the  maid  would  not  heed  him,  and  at  last 
set  to  scolding.  So  Jack  said  that  if  the  King's  daughter  came 
herself  he  would  give  her  a  hare.  The  maid  told  them  in  the 
castle,  and  the  King's  daughter  did  go  herself.  But  in  the 
meantime  the  Little  Man  had  come  again  to  Jack  and  asked 
him  what  he  was  doing  there.  Oh,  he  had  to  watch  a 
hundred  hares  so  that  none  ran  away,  and  then  he  might 
marry  the  King's  daughter  and  be  King.  "  Good !  "  said  the 
Little  Man,  "  there's  a  whistle  for  you,  and  when  one  runs 
away,  only  just  whistle  and  he  will  come  back  again."  When 
the  King's  daughter  came,  Jack  put  a  hare  into  her  apron, 
but  when  she  had  gone  about  a  hundred  steps  off,  Jack  whis 
tled,  and  the  hare  jumped  out  of  the  cloth,  and  jump,  jump! 
was  back  to  the  herd  directly.  In  the  evening  the  hareherd 
whistled  again,  and  looked  to  see  they  were  all  right,  and 
drove  them  to  the  castle.  The  King  wondered  how  Jack  had 
been  able  to  take  care  of  a  hundred  hares,  so  that  none  should 
run  off,  but  he  would  not  yet  give  him  his  daughter  so  easily, 
but  said  he  must  first  get  him  a  feather  from  the  Old  Griffin's 
tail. 

Jack  started  at  once,  and  marched  right  briskly  on.  In  the 
evening  he  arrived  at  a  castle,  where  he  asked  for  a  night's 
lodging,  for  at  that  time  there  were  no  such  things  as  hotels ; 
and  the  master  of  the  castle  greeted  him  very  civilly,  and 
asked  him  where  he  was  going  to.  Jack  answered,  "  To  the 
Old  Griffin."  "  Oh,  indeed !  to  the  Old  Griffin ;  they  say  he 
knows  everything,  and  I  have  lost  the  key  to  an  iron  money 
chest;  perhaps  you  would  be  good  enough  to  ask  him  where 
it  is !  "  "  Certainly,"  said  Jack,  "  that  I  will."  Early  the  next 
morning  he  started  off  again  on  his  road,  and  arrived  at  an 
other  castle,  where  he  again  passed  the  night.  When  the 
people  learned  that  he  was  going  to  the  Old  Griffin,  they  said 
a  daughter  was  ill  in  the  house ;  they  had  already  tried  every 
possible  remedy,  but  without  effect ;  would  he  be  kind  enough 

[  327 1 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

to  ask  Old  Griffin  what  would  cure  her?  Jack  said  he  would 
do  it  with  pleasure,  and  went  on  again.  He  arrived  at  a  lake, 
and  instead  of  a  ferryboat  there  was  a  big  man  who  had  to 
carry  everybody  over.  The  man  asked  him  where  he  was 
bound  for?  "  To  the  Old  Griffin,"  said  Jack.  "  When  you  get 
to  him/'  said  the  man,  "  just  ask  him  why  I  am  obliged  to 
carry  everybody  over  the  water."  "  Yes,  to  be  sure,"  said 
Jack ;  "  goodness  gracious !  yes,  willingly !  "  The  man  then 
took  him  up  on  his  shoulder  and  carried  him  over.  At  last 
Jack  arrived  at  the  Old  Griffin's  house,  and  only  found  the 
wife  at  home,  not  Old  Griffin.  The  woman  asked  him  what 
he  wanted,  so  he  told  her  he  must  have  a  feather  from  Old 
Griffin's  tail ;  and  that  in  a  castle  they  had  lost  the  key  to  the 
money  chest,  and  he  was  to  ask  the  Griffin  where  it  was ;  and 
then,  in  another  castle,  the  daughter  was  ill,  and  he  was  to 
know  what  would  make  her  well  again ;  then  not  far  from 
there  were  the  water  and  the  man  who  was  obliged  to  carry 
everybody  over,  and  he  should  very  much  like  to  know  why 
the  man  was  obliged  to  carry  everybody  over.  "  But,"  said 
the  woman,  "  look  you,  my  good  friend,  no  Christian  can 
speak  with  a  Griffin;  he  eats  them  all  up;  but,  if  you  like, 
you  can  lie  there  under  his  bed,  and  at  night  when  he  is  fast 
asleep  you  can  reach  up  and  pull  a  feather  out  of  his  tail; 
and  as  to  those  things  that  you  want  to  know,  I  will  ask  him 
myself."  Jack  was  quite  satisfied  with  the  arrangement,  and 
got  under  the  bed.  In  the  evening  Old  Griffin  came  home, 
and  when  he  stepped  into  the  room  he  said,  "  Wife,  I  smell  a 
Christian !  "  "  Yes,"  said  the  wife,  "  there  has  been  one  here 
to-day,  but  he  went  away  again."  So  Old  Griffin  said  no  more. 
In  the  middle  of  the  night,  when  Griffin  was  snoring  away 
lustily,  Jack  reached  up  and  pulled  a  feather  out  of  his  tail. 
The  Griffin  jumped  up  suddenly  and  cried :  "  Wife,  I  smell 
a  Christian !  and  it  was  just  as  if  some  one  had  been  plucking 
at  my  tail."  The  wife  said :  "  You  have  no  doubt  been  dream 
ing.  I  have  told  you  already  that  one  has  been  here  to-day, 
but  that  he  went  away  again.  He  told  me  all  sorts  of  things ; 
that  in  one  castle  they  had  lost  the  key  of  the  money  chest 

[328] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  could  not  find  it."  "  Oh,  the  fools !  "  exclaimed  the 
Griffin ;  "  the  key  lies  in  the  wood-shed,  behind  the  door, 
under  a  log  of  wood."  "  And  further,  he  said  that  in  another 
castle  the  daughter  was  ill,  and  they  knew  no  means  to  cure 
her."  "  Oh,  the  fools !  "  said  the  Griffin,  "  under  the  cellar 
stairs  a  toad  has  made  its  nest  of  her  hair,  and  if  she  got  the 
hair  back  again  she  would  be  well."  "  And  then,  again,  he 
said  at  a  certain  place  there  was  a  lake,  and  a  man  who  was 
obliged  to  carry  everybody  over."  "  Oh,  the  fool !  "  said  the 
Old  Griffin,  "  if  he  were  only  to  put  somebody  into  the  middle 
he  need  not  carry  any  more  over." 

Early  next  morning  the  Old  Griffin  got  up  and  went  out, 
and  Jack  crept  from  under  the  bed  with  a  beautiful  feather, 
having  heard  what  the  Griffin  had  said  about  the  key,  the 
daughter,  and  the  man.  The  wife  repeated  it  all  to  him  so 
that  he  should  not  forget,  and  then  he  started  off  toward  home. 
He  came  to  the  man  at  the  water  first,  and  he  asked  him  di 
rectly  what  the  Griffin  had  said ;  but  Jack  said  he  must  carry 
him  over  first,  and  then  he  would  tell  him.  So  he  carried  him 
over,  and  when  they  got  there  Jack  told  him  he  had  only  to 
put  somebody  into  the  middle  and  then  he  need  carry  no  more. 
The  man  was  delighted  beyond  measure,  and  told  Jack  that 
out  of  gratitude  he  should  like  to  carry  him  over  and  back 
once  more.  But  Jack  said  nay,  he  would  save  him  the  trouble ; 
he  was  quite  contented  with  him  already,  and  then  went  on. 
Next  he  arrived  at  the  castle  where  the  daughter  was  ill;  he 
took  her  on  his  shoulder,  for  she  was  not  able  to  walk,  and 
carried  her  down  the  cellar  stairs,  and  then  took  the  toad's 
nest  from  under  the  bottom  step  and  put  it  into  the  daughter's 
hand,  and  all  at  once  she  jumped  off  his  shoulder,  up  the  stairs 
before  him,  strong  and  well.  Now  the  father  and  mother  were 
delighted  indeed,  and  made  Jack  presents  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  whatever  he  wanted  they  gave  him. 

When  Jack  arrived  at  the  other  castle  he  went  straight  to 
the  wood-shed,  and  found  the  key  right  behind  the  door  under 
the  log  of  wood,  and  took  it  to  the  master.  He  was  not  a  little 
pleased,  and  gave  Jack  in  return  a  great  deal  of  gold  that  was 

[  329  ] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

in  the  box  and  all  sorts  of  things  besides,  such  as  cows  and 
sheep  and  goats. 

When  Jack  returned  to  the  King  with  all  these  things,  with 
the  money  and  gold  and  silver,  and  the  cows,  sheep,  and  goats, 
the  King  asked  him  how  he  had  come  by  it  all.  So  Jack  said 
the  Old  Griffin  would  give  one  as  much  as  one  liked.  The 
King  thought  he  could  find  a  use  for  that  kind  of  gifts  him 
self,  and  so  started  off  to  the  Griffin;  but  when  he  got  to  the 
water  he  happened  to  be  the  first  who  had  crossed  over  since 
Jack,  and  the  man  put  him  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  and 
walked  off,  and  the  King  was  drowned. 

So  Jack  married  the  King's  daughter  and  became  King. 


"The    Three   Feathers 

upon  a  time  there  lived  a  king  who  had  three 
sons,  two  of  whom  were  bright  youths,  but  the  young- 
est  never  had  anything  to  say  for  himself,  so  he  was 
set  down  by  everyone  as  a  simpleton. 

Years  went  on,  and  the  King  felt  himself  growing  old, 
and  he  thought  it  was  time  to  decide  which  of  his  sons  was 
to  succeed  him. 

This  was  not  so  easy,  so  he  told  the  youths  that  whoever 
should  bring  him  the  most  beautiful  carpet  should  be  his  heir, 
and,  lest  they  should  all  want  to  go  in  the  same  direction  and 
quarrel,  he  went  up  to  the  roof  of  the  palace  and  blew  three 
feathers  up  into  the  air,  saying: 

"  As  they  fly,  thither  shall  you  follow." 

One  feather  flew  east,  another  west,  and  the  third  went  in  a 
straight  line  between  the  two  for  a  little  way,  and  then  fell  sud 
denly  to  the  ground.  So  one  brother  went  east,  and  another 
west,  and  poor  Dummling  was  left  to  follow  the  third  feather, 
which  had  gone  no  distance  at  all,  whereat  his  brothers  were 
much  amused. 

Dummling  sat  down  beside  his  feather,  feeling  very  sad  and 

[330] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

doleful,  and  he  was  just  thinking  that  all  chance  of  the  king 
dom  was  at  an  end  for  him,  when  he  discovered  that  all  the 
time  he  was  staring  at  a  trapdoor  in  the  ground.  He  lifted 
it,  and  found  steps  leading  down  into  the  earth,  so  he  went 
down  the  stairs  till  he  came  to  a  door,  and  then  he  knocked. 
Immediately  he  heard  a  voice  singing: 

"  Little  frog,  so  green  and  cold, 
I  prithee  open  and  behold 
Who  it  is  that  knocks  so  bold," 

and  the  door  opened,  and  he  saw  a  large  frog  squatting  in  the 
middle  of  a  circle  of  little  ones.  The  big  one  bowed  to  him  as 
he  entered,  and  asked  him  what  he  sought. 

"  Please,"  said  Dummling,  taking  off  his  cap  and  returning 
the  bow,  "  I  want  to  know  if  you  can  help  me  to  get  the  most 
beautiful  carpet  in  the  world." 

The  Frog  rolled  her  eyes  for  a  minute,  and  then,  turning  to 
one  of  the  little  ones  at  her  side,  said : 

"  Go  bring  me  hither  the  big  casket,"  and  the  little  frog 
hopped  away,  and  came  back  dragging  a  large  box. 

Then  the  mother  Frog  took  a  key  that  hung  around  her  neck 
on  a  chain,  and  opened  the  box  and  drew  forth  the  most  beau 
tiful  carpet  that  was  ever  seen. 

Dummling  was  delighted  with  it,  and  thanking  her  very 
heartily,  he  hurried  up  the  steps,  eager  to  take  it  to  the  palace. 

Meanwhile,  the  two  brothers,  never  thinking  that  Dummling 
was  clever  enough  to  find  any  sort  of  carpet  at  all,  said  to  each 
other : 

"  Let  us  buy  the  shawl  of  the  first  peasant  woman  we  meet. 
That  should  be  good  enough  to  win  us  the  kingdom." 

So  they  bought  a  common  old  shawl  at  the  first  opportunity, 
and  took  it  home  to  the  palace,  arriving  just  at  the  same  mo 
ment  as  Dummling. 

The  King  was  astonished  when  the  carpets  were  spread  out 
before  him  and  he  saw  the  lovely  thing  Dummling  had 
brought. 

[331] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

"  The  prize,"  said  he,  "  should  by  rights  belong  to  my 
youngest  son." 

But  the  others  were  so  angry  at  this,  and  worried  their 
father  so  much,  that  for  very  peace  he  had  to  consent  to  a 
new  test. 

So  the  King  gave  out  that  whoever  should  bring  him  the 
most  beautiful  ring  should  be  King  when  he  died,  and  he  blew 
up  the  feathers  as  before,  and  bade  the  youths  follow  them. 

The  two  eldest  went  east  and  west,  but  Dummling's  feather 
did  as  it  did  the  first  time,  and  fell  to  earth  just  by  the  trap 
door.  So  he  pulled  it  up  once  again  and  went  down  the  steps. 

When  the  door  was  opened,  he  told  the  big  Frog  that  he 
wanted  the  most  beautiful  ring  in  the  world.  So  she  sent  one 
of  her  little  attendants  hopping  for  her  jewel  casket,  and, 
when  it  was  come,  she  took  out  of  it  a  ring  that  fairly  blazed 
with  diamonds  and  other  jewels,  and  finer  than  the  finest 
workmanship  that  could  be  obtained.  You  may  imagine 
Dummling  thanked  her  very  warmly  for  the  ring,  and  hur 
ried  off  back  to  the  palace  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him. 
He  found  his  brothers  had  just  arrived  with  rings  they  had 
taken  no  more  pains  to  make  than  to  beat  two  rusty  nails  into 
circlets.  As  soon  as  the  King  saw  Dummling's  lovely  jewel, 
he  cried  out: 

"  The  kingdom  belongs  to  him." 

But  the  brothers  again  flew  into  a  passion  at  this,  and  said 
that  a  youth  who  had  as  little  wit  as  Dummling  could  not 
possibly  reign  over  the  land.  So  they  worried  the  father  at 
last  to  make  just  one  more  condition;  and  this  time  he  said 
that  whoever  should  bring  home  the  most  beautiful  woman  in 
the  world  should  succeed  to  the  throne.  A  third  time  he  blew 
the  feathers  into  the  air,  and  the  youths  set  out  after  them. 

Dummling's  feather  floated  and  fell  just  as  before,  and 
again  he  pulled  up  his  trapdoor  and  went  down  into  the 
presence  of  the  old  Frog,  and  told  her  that  this  time  he  wanted 
the  most  beautiful  maiden  in  all  the  world. 

"  Hum !  "  said  the  Frog,  "  it  is  not  everyone  who  gets  that ; 
still  I  will  do  my  best  for  you,  nevertheless.  But  first  take 

[332] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

this,"  and  she  gave  Dummling  a  little  toy  cart  made  of  a  hol 
low  carrot,  to  which  were  harnessed  six  beautiful  white  mice. 

The  youth  looked  at  this  rather  doubtfully,  and  asked  the 
mother  Frog  what  he  was  to  do  with  it. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  she  said.  "  Take  one  of  my  little  frog 
attendants  and  set  her  on  the  carrot." 

So  Dummling  picked  up  the  one  that  happened  to  be  near 
est  him  and  put  her  on  the  carrot,  and  lo  and  behold!  no 
sooner  was  she  seated  than  she  changed  into  a  beautiful 
maiden,  and  the  carrot  and  the  mice  into  a  grand  chariot 
drawn  by  six  prancing  horses.  As  soon  as  he  could  stop  rub 
bing  his  eyes  from  wonder,  Dummling  kissed  the  maiden,  and 
drove  off  in  triumph  to  the  palace. 

Meanwhile,  the  brothers,  as  usual,  had  taken  no  trouble 
whatever,  and  at  the  moment  Dummling  drove  up  in  his  glory 
they  appeared  with  two  peasant  girls,  who  were  not  even 
pretty. 

Of  course  the  King  had  nothing  for  it  but  to  award  the 
kingdom  to  his  youngest  son,  and,  of  course,  the  elder  broth 
ers  still  grumbled,  and  made  such  a  fuss  that  at  last  the  poor 
King  had  to  consent  to  yet  another  trial. 

To  prove  which  was  the  best  wife  of  the  three,  he  decided 
that  they  should  all  jump  through  a  hoop  in  the  hall,  and  the 
one  who  did  it  most  prettily  was  to  be  the  winner. 

And  now  all  the  court  was  gathered  together  in  the  hall  to 
see  the  contest.  The  country  girls  jumped,  but  were  so  plump 
that  they  fell  heavily  and  broke  their  arms  and  legs.  Then 
Dummling's  lovely  maiden  sprang  lightly  and  gracefully 
through  the  ring,  and  landed  safely  on  the  other  side. 

So  at  last  the  brothers  had  to  be  content,  and  in  time  Dumm 
ling  came  to  the  throne  and  ruled  wisely  and  well  for  many, 
many  years. 


[333 


THE   FAIRY   RING 


The   House   in   the    tf^ood 

^^T^  HERE  was  once  a  poor  Woodcutter  who  lived  with 
I  his  Wife  and  three  Daughters  in  a  little  hut  on  the 
JL  edge  of  a  large  forest.  One  morning,  when  he  went 
out  to  his  usual  work,  he  said  to  his  Wife :  "  Let  my  dinner  be 
brought  by  our  eldest  Daughter,  I  shall  not  be  ready  to  come 
home ;  and  that  she  may  not  lose  her  way,  I  will  take  with  me 
a  bag  of  seeds  and  strew  them  on  my  path." 

So  when  the  sun  was  risen  to  the  center  of  the  heavens, 
the  Maiden  set  out  on  her  way,  carrying  a  jug  of  soup.  But 
the  field  and  wood  sparrows,  the  larks,  blackbirds,  goldfinches, 
and  greenfinches,  had  many  hours  ago  picked  up  the  seeds,  so 
that  the  Maiden  could  find  no  trace  of  the  way.  So  she  walked 
on,  trusting  to  fortune,  till  the  sun  set  and  night  came  on. 
The  trees  soon  began  to  rustle  in  the  darkness,  the  owls  to 
hoot,  and  the  girl  began  to  feel  frightened.  All  at  once  she 
perceived  a  light  shining  at  a  distance  among  the  trees. 
"  People  must  dwell  there,"  she  thought,  "  who  will  keep  me 
during  the  night " ;  and  she  walked  toward  the  light.  In  a 
short  time  she  came  to  a  cottage  where  the  windows  were  all 
lighted  up,  and  when  she  knocked  at  the  door  a  hoarse  voice 
called  from  within,  "  Come  in."  The  girl  opened  the  door  and 
perceived  a  hoary  Old  Man  sitting  at  a  table  with  his  face 
buried  in  his  hands,  and  his  white  beard  flowing  down  over  the 
table  on  to  the  ground.  On  the  hearth  lay  three  animals — a 
hen,  a  cock,  and  a  brindled  cow.  The  girl  told  the  Old  Man 
her  adventures,  and  begged  for  a  night's  lodging.  The  Man 
said: 

"  Pretty  Hen,  pretty  Cock, 
And  pretty  brindled  Cow, 
What  have  you  to  say  to  that?  " 

"  Cluck ! "  said  the  animals,  and  as  that  meant  they  were  satis 
fied,  the  Old  Man  said  to  the  Maiden :  "  Here  is  abundance, 

[334] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

and  to  spare;  go  now  into  the  kitchen  and  cook  some  supper 
for  us." 

The  girl  found  plenty  of  everything  in  the  kitchen,  and 
cooked  a  good  meal,  but  thought  nothing  about  the  animals. 
When  she  had  finished  she  carried  a  full  dish  into  the  room, 
and,  sitting  down  opposite  the  Old  Man,  ate  till  she  had  satis 
fied  her  hunger.  When  she  had  done  she  said:  "I  am  very 
tired;  where  is  my  bed,  where  I  shall  lie  down  and  sleep?'* 
The  animals  replied: 

"  You  have  eaten  with  him, 
You  have  drunk,  too,  with  him; 
And  yet  you  have  not  thought  of  us; 
Still  you  may  pass  the  night  here." 

Thereupon  the  Old  Man  said :  "  Step  down  yon  stair,  and  you 
will  come  to  a  room  containing  two  beds,  shake  them  up  and 
cover  them  with  white  sheets,  and  then  I  will  come  and  lie 
down  to  sleep  myself."  The  Maiden  stepped  down  the  stair, 
and  as  soon  as  she  had  shaken  up  the  beds  and  covered  them 
afresh,  she  laid  herself  down  in  one  bed,  without  waiting 
for  the  Old  Man.  But  after  some  time  the  Old  Man  came, 
and,  after  looking  at  the  girl  with  the  light,  shook  his  head 
when  he  saw  she  was  fast  asleep;  and  then,  opening  a  trap 
door,  dropped  her  down  into  the  cellar  below. 

Late  in  the  evening  the  V/oodcutter  arrived  at  home,  and 
scolded  his  Wife  because  she  had  let  him  hunger  all  day  long. 
"  It  is  not  my  fault,"  she  replied ;  "  the  girl  was  sent  out  with 
your  dinner ;  she  must  have  lost  her  way ;  but  to-morrow  she 
will  return,  no  doubt."  At  daybreak  the  Woodcutter  got  up 
to  go  into  the  forest,  and  desired  that  the  second  Daughter 
should  bring  him  his  meal  this  time.  "  I  will  take  a  bag  of 
peas,"  he  said ;  "  they  are  larger  than  corn  seed,  and  the  girl 
will  therefore  see  them  better  and  not  lose  my  track."  At 
noonday,  accordingly,  the  girl  set  out  with  her  father's  dinner ; 
but  the  peas  had  all  disappeared,  for  the  wood  birds  had  picked 
them  all  up  as  they  had  on  the  day  before,  and  not  one  was  left. 
So  the  poor  girl  wandered  about  in  the  forest  till  it  was  quite 

[335] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

dark,  and  then  she  also  arrived  at  the  Old  Man's  hut,  was  in 
vited  in,  and  begged  food  and  a  night's  lodging.  The  Man 
of  the  white  beard  asked  his  animals  again : 

"  Pretty  Hen,  and  pretty  Cock, 
And  pretty  brindled  Cow, 
What  have  you  to  say  to  that? " 

They  answered  again,  "  Cluck ! "  and  everything  thereupon 
occurred  the  same  as  on  the  previous  day.  The  girl  cooked  a 
good  meal,  ate  and  drank  with  the  Old  Man,  but  never  once 
thought  of  the  animals ;  and  when  she  asked  for  her  bed,  they 
made  answer : 

"  You  have  eaten  with  him, 
You  have  drunk,  too,  with  him; 
And  yet  you  have  not  thought  of  us ; 
Still  you  may  pass  the  night  here!  " 

As  soon  as  she  was  gone  to  sleep  the  Old  Man  came,  and, 
after  looking  at  her  and  shaking  his  head  as  before,  dropped 
her  into  the  cellar  below. 

Meanwhile  the  third  morning  arrived,  and  the  Woodcutter 
told  his  Wife  to  send  their  youngest  child  with  his  dinner: 
"  For,"  said  he,  "  she  is  always  obedient  and  good ;  she  will 
keep  in  the  right  path  and  not  run  about  like  those  idle  hus 
sies,  her  sisters! " 

But  the  Mother  refused,  and  said :  "  Shall  I  lose  my  young 
est  child  too  ?  " 

"  Be  not  afraid  of  that,"  said  her  husband ;  "  the  girl  will 
not  miss  her  way,  she  is  too  steady  and  prudent ;  but  for  more 
precaution  I  will  take  beans  to  strew,  they  are  larger  still  than 
peas,  and  will  show  her  the  way  better/' 

But  by  and  by,  when  the  girl  went  out  with  her  basket  on 
her  arm,  the  wood  pigeons  had  eaten  up  all  the  beans,  and  she 
knew  not  which  way  to  turn.  She  was  full  of  trouble,  and 
thought  with  grief  how  her  Father  would  want  his  dinner 
and  how  her  dear  Mother  would  grieve  when  she  did  not 
return.  At  length,  when  it  became  quite  dark,  she  also  per- 

[336] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

ceived  the  lighted  cottage,  and  entering  it,  begged  very  po 
litely  to  be  allowed  to  pass  the  night  there.  The  Old  Man 
asked  the  animals  a  third  time  in  the  same  words : 

"  Pretty  Hen,  pretty  Cock, 
And  pretty  brindled  Cow, 
What  have  you  to  say  to  that?  " 

"  Cluck,  cluck ! "  said  they.  Thereupon  the  Maiden  stepped 
up  to  the  fire,  near  which  they  lay,  and  fondled  the  pretty  Hen 
and  Cock,  smoothing  their  plumage  down  with  her  hands, 
while  she  stroked  the  Cow  between  her  horns.  Afterwards, 
when  she  had  got  ready  a  good  supper  at  the  Old  Man's  re 
quest,  and  had  placed  the  dishes  on  the  table,  she  thought  to 
herself :  "  I  must  not  appease  my  hunger  till  I  have  fed  these 
good  creatures.  There  is  an  abundance  in  the  kitchen,  I  will 
serve  them  first."  Thus  thinking  she  went  and  fetched  some 
corn  and  strewed  it  before  the  fowls,  and  then  she  brought  an 
armful  of  hay  and  gave  it  to  the  Cow.  "  Now,  eat  away,  you 
good  creatures,"  said  she  to  them,  "  and  when  you  are  thirsty 
you  shall  have  a  nice  fresh  draught."  So  saying  she  brought  in 
a  pailful  of  water ;  and  the  Hen  and  Cock  perched  themselves 
on  its  edge,  put  their  beaks  in,  and  then  drew  their  heads  up 
as  birds  do  when  drinking ;  the  Cow  also  took  a  hearty  draught. 
When  the  animals  were  thus  fed,  the  Maiden  sat  down  at  table 
with  the  Old  Man  and  ate  what  was  left  for  her.  In  a  short 
while  the  Hen  and  Cock  began  to  fold  their  wings  over  their 
heads,  and  the  brindled  Cow  blinked  with  both  eyes.  Then 
the  Maiden  asked:  "  Shall  we  not  also  take  our  rest?"  The 
Old  Man  replied  as  before: 

"  Pretty  Hen,  pretty  Cock, 
And  pretty  brindled  Cow, 
What  have  you  to  say  to  that?  " 

"  Cluck,  cluck !  "  replied  the  animals,  meaning : 

"  You  have  eaten  with  us, 
You  have  drunk,  too,  with  us, 
You  have  thought  of  us  kindly,  too ; 
And  we  wish  you  a  good  night's  rest." 

[337] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

So  the  Maiden  went  down  the  stairs,  and  shook  up  the 
feather  beds  and  laid  on  clean  sheets,  and  when  they  were 
ready  the  Old  Man  came  and  lay  down  in  one,  with  his  white 
beard  stretching  down  to  his  feet.  The  girl  then  lay  down  in 
the  other  bed,  first  saying  her  prayers  before  she  went  to  sleep. 

She  slept  quietly  till  midnight,  and  at  that  hour  there  began 
such  a  tumult  in  the  house  that  it  awakened  her.  Presently  it 
began  to  crack  and  rumble  in  every  corner  of  the  room,  and 
the  doors  were  slammed  back  against  the  wall,  and  then  the 
beams  groaned  as  if  they  were  being  riven  away  from  their 
fastenings,  and  the  stairs  fell  down,  and  at  last  it  seemed  as 
if  the  whole  roof  fell  in.  Soon  after  that  all  was  quiet,  but 
the  Maiden  took  no  harm,  and  went  quietly  off  again  to  sleep. 
When,  however  the  bright  light  of  the  morning  sun  awoke 
her,  what  a  sight  met  her  eyes!  She  found  herself  lying  in 
a  large  chamber,  with  everything  around  belonging  to  regal 
pomp.  On  the  walls  were  represented  gold  flowers  growing 
on  a  green  silk  ground ;  the  bed  was  of  ivory,  and  the  cur 
tains  of  red  velvet,  and  on  a  stool  close  by  was  placed  a 
pair  of  slippers  ornamented  with  pearls.  The  Maiden  thought 
it  was  all  a  dream;  but  presently  in  came  three  servants 
dressed  in  rich  liveries,  who  asked  her  what  were  her  com 
mands.  "  Leave  me,"  replied  the  Maiden ;  "  I  will  get  up 
at  once  and  cook  some  breakfast  for  the  Old  Man,  and  also 
feed  the  pretty  Hen,  the  pretty  Cock,  and  the  brindled  Cow." 
She  spoke  thus  because  she  thought  the  Old  Man  was  al 
ready  up;  but  when  she  looked  round  at  his  bed,  she  saw  a 
stranger  to  her  lying  asleep  in  it.  While  she  was  looking 
at  him,  and  saw  that  he  was  both  young  and  handsome,  he 
awoke,  and  starting  up,  said  to  the  Maiden :  "  I  am  a  king's 
son,  who  was  long  ago  changed  by  a  wicked  old  witch  into 
the  form  of  an  old  man,  and  condemned  to  live  alone  in 
the  wood,  with  nobody  to  bear  me  company  but  my  three 
servants  in  the  form  of  a  hen,  a  cock,  and  a  brindled  cow. 
And  the  enchantment  was  not  to  end  until  a  maiden  should 
come  so  kind-hearted  that  she  should  behave  as  well  to  my 
animals  as  she  did  to  me;  and  such  a  one  you  have  been; 

[338] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and,  therefore,  this  last  midnight  we  were  saved  through  you, 
and  the  old  wooden  hut  has  again  become  my  royal  palace." 

When  he  had  thus  spoken  the  girl  and  he  arose,  and  the 
Prince  told  his  three  servants  to  fetch  to  the  palace  the  Father 
and  Mother  of  the  Maiden,  that  they  might  witness  her  mar 
riage. 

"  But  where  are  my  two  Sisters  ?  "  she  asked.  "  I  have  put 
them  in  the  cellar,"  replied  the  Prince,  "  and  there  they  must 
remain  till  to-morrow  morning,  when  they  shall  be  led  into  the 
forest,  and  bound  as  servants  to  a  collier,  until  they  have 
reformed  their  tempers,  and  learned  not  to  let  poor  animals 
suffer  hunger." 


Rapunzel 


rHERE  was  once  a  man  and  his  wife  who  had  long 
wished  in  vain  for  a  child,  when  at  last  they  had 
reason  to  hope  that  Heaven  would  grant  their  wish. 
There  was  a  little  window  at  the  back  of  their  house,  which 
overlooked  a  beautiful  garden,  full  of  lovely  flowers  and 
shrubs.  It  was,  however,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  and 
nobody  dared  to  enter  it,  because  it  belonged  to  a  powerful 
witch,  who  was  feared  by  everyone. 

One  day  the  woman,  standing  at  this  window  and  looking 
into  the  garden,  saw  a  bed  planted  with  beautiful  corn  salad. 
It  looked  so  fresh  and  green  that  it  made  her  long  to  eat 
some  of  it.  This  longing  increased  every  day,  and  as  she 
knew  it  could  never  be  satisfied,  she  began  to  look  pale  and 
miserable,  and  to  pine  away.  Then  her  husband  became 
alarmed,  and  said :  "  What  ails  you,  my  dear  wife  ?  " 

"  Alas !  "  she  answered,  "  if  I  cannot  get  any  of  the  corn 
salad  from  the  garden  behind  our  house  to  eat,  I  shall  die." 

Her  husband,  who  loved  her,  thought :  "  Before  you  let 
your  wife  die,  you  must  fetch  her  some  of  that  corn  salad,  cost 
what  it  may."  So  in  the  twilight  he  climbed  over  the  wall 
into  the  Witch's  garden,  hastily  picked  a  handful  of  corn 

[339] 


THE  FAIRT   RING 

salad,  and  took  it  back  to  his  wife.  She  immediately  dressed 
it,  and  ate  it  up  very  eagerly.  It  was  so  very,  very  nice 
that  the  next  day  her  longing  for  it  increased  threefold.  She 
could  have  no  peace  unless  her  husband  fetched  her  some 
more.  So  in  the  twilight  he  set  out  again ;  but  when  he  got 
over  the  wall  he  was  terrified  to  see  the  Witch  before  him. 

"  How  dare  you  come  into  my  garden  like  a  thief,  and 
steal  my  corn  salad  ?  "  she  said,  with  angry  looks.  "  It  shall 
disagree  with  you." 

"  Alas !  "  he  answered,  "  be  merciful  to  me ;  I  am  only  here 
from  necessity.  My  wife  sees  your  corn  salad  from  the  win 
dow,  and  she  has  such  a  longing  for  it  that  she  would  die 
if  she  could  not  get  some  of  it." 

The  anger  of  the  Witch  abated,  and  she  said  to  him:  "If 
it  is  as  you  say,  I  will  allow  you  to  take  away  with  you  as 
much  corn  salad  as  you  like,  but  on  one  condition.  You  must 
give  me  the  child  which  your  wife  is  about  to  bring  into  the 
world.  I  will  care  for  it  like  a  mother,  and  all  will  be  well 
with  it."  In  his  fear  the  man  consented  to  everything,  and 
when  the  baby  was  born  the  Witch  appeared,  gave  it  the 
name  of  Rapunzel  (corn  salad),  and  took  it  away  with  her. 

Rapunzel  was  the  most  beautiful  child  under  the  sun. 
When  she  was  twelve  years  old,  the  Witch  shut  her  up 
in  a  tower  which  stood  in  a  wood.  It  had  neither  staircase 
nor  doors,  and  only  a  little  window  quite  high  up  in  the  wall. 
When  the  Witch  wanted  to  enter  the  tower,  she  stood  at  the 
foot  of  it  and  cried : 

"  Rapunzel,  Rapunzel,  let  down  your  hair !  " 

Rapunzel  had  splendid  long  hair,  as  fine  as  spun  gold.  As 
soon  as  she  heard  the  voice  of  the  Witch  she  unfastened  her 
plaits  and  twisted  them  around  a  hook  by  the  window.  They 
fell  twenty  ells  downward,  and  the  Witch  climbed  up  by 
them. 

It  happened  a  couple  of  years  later  that  the  King's  son 
rode  through  the  forest  and  came  close  to  the  tower.  From 
thence  he  heard  a  song  so  lovely  that  he  stopped  to  listen. 
It  was  Rapunzel,  who  in  her  loneliness  made  her  sweet  voice 

[340] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

resound  to  pass  away  the  time.  The  King's  son  wanted  to 
join  her,  and  he  sought  for  the  door  of  the  tower,  but  there 
was  none  to  find. 

He  rode  home,  but  the  song  had  touched  his  heart  so 
deeply  that  he  went  into  the  forest  every  day  to  listen  to  it. 
Once,  when  he  was  hidden  behind  a  tree,  he  saw  a  witch 
come  to  the  tower  and  call  out: 

"  Rapunzel,  Rapunzel,  let  down  your  hair! " 

Then  Rapunzel  lowered  her  plaits  of  hair  and  the  Witch 
climbed  up  to  her. 

"If  that  is  the  ladder  by  which  one  ascends,  I  will  try 
my  luck  myself."  And  the  next  day,  when  it  began  to  grow 
dark,  he  went  to  the  tower  and  cried: 

"Rapunzel,  Rapunzel,  let  down  your  hair!" 

The  hair  fell  down  at  once,  and  the  King's  son  climbed 
up  by  it. 

At  first  Rapunzel  was  terrified,  for  she  had  never  set  eyes 
on  a  man  before,  but  the  King's  son  talked  to  her  in  a 
friendly  way,  and  told  her  that  his  heart  had  been  so  deeply 
touched  by  her  song  that  he  had  no  peace,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  see  her.  Then  Rapunzel  lost  her  fear,  and  when 
he  asked  if  she  would  have  him  for  her  husband,  and  she 
saw  that  he  was  young  and  handsome,  she  thought,  "  He 
will  love  me  better  than  old  Mother  Gothel."  So  she  said, 
"Yes,"  and  laid  her  hand  in  his.  She  said:  "I  will  gladly 
go  with  you,  but  I  do  not  know  how  I  am  to  get  down  from 
this  tower.  When  you  come,  will  you  bring  a  skein  of  silk 
with  you  every  time?  I  will  twist  it  into  a  ladder,  and  when 
it  is  long  enough  I  will  descend  by  it,  and  you  can  take  me 
away  with  you  on  your  horse." 

She  arranged  with  him  that  he  should  come  and  see  her 
every  evening,  for  the  old  Witch  came  in  the  daytime. 

The  Witch  discovered  nothing,  till  suddenly  Rapunzel  said 
to  her :  "  Tell  me,  Mother  Gothel,  how  can  it  be  that  you  are 
so  much  heavier  to  draw  up  than  the  young  Prince  who  will 
be  here  in  a  moment  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  wicked  child,  what  do  you  say  ?     I  thought  I 

[3411 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

had  separated  you  from  all  the  world,  and  yet  you  have 
deceived  me."  In  her  rage  she  seized  Rapunzel's  beautiful 
hair,  twisted  it  twice  around  her  left  hand,  snatched  up  a 
pair  of  shears  and  cut  off  the  plaits,  which  fell  to  the  ground. 
She  was  so  merciless  that  she  took  poor  Rapunzel  away  into 
a  wilderness,  where  she  forced  her  to  live  in  the  greatest 
grief  and  misery. 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  she  had  banished 
Rapunzel,  the  Witch  fastened  the  plaits,  which  she  had  cut 
off,  to  the  hook  by  the  window,  and  when  the  Prince  came 
and  called,  "  Rapunzel,  Rapunzel,  let  down  your  hair !  "  she 
lowered  the  hair.  The  Prince  climbed  up,  but  there  he  found, 
not  his  beloved  Rapunzel,  but  the  Witch,  who  looked  at  him 
with  angry  and  wicked  eyes. 

"  Ah !  "  she  cried  mockingly,  "  you  have  come  to  fetch  your 
ladylove,  but  the  pretty  bird  is  no  longer  in  her  nest ;  and  she 
can  sing  no  more,  for  the  cat  has  seized  her,  and  it  will  scratch 
your  own  eyes  out  too.  Rapunzel  is  lost  to  you;  you  will 
never  see  her  again." 

The  Prince  was  beside  himself  with  grief,  and  in  his 
despair  he  sprang  out  of  the  window.  He  was  not  killed, 
but  his  eyes  were  scratched  out  by  the  thorns  among  which 
he  fell.  He  wandered  about  blind  in  the  wood,  and  had 
nothing  but  roots  and  berries  to  eat.  He  did  nothing  but 
weep  and  lament  over  the  loss  of  his  beloved  wife  Rapunzel. 
In  this  way  he  wandered  about  for  some  years,  till  at  last 
he  reached  the  wilderness  where  Rapunzel  had  been  living 
in  great  poverty  with  the  twins  (a  boy  and  a  girl)  who  had 
been  born  to  her. 

He  heard  a  voice  which  seemed  very  familiar  to  him,  and 
he  went  toward  it.  The  voice  was  Rapunzel's,  and  she  knew 
him  at  once,  and  fell  weeping  upon  his  neck.  Two  of  her  tears 
fell  upon  his  eyes,  and  they  immediately  grew  quite  clear,  and 
he  could  see  as  well  as  ever. 

He  took  her  to  his  kingdom,  where  he  was  received  with 
joy,  and  they  lived  long  and  happily  together. 

[342] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 


The   O^ueen    Bee 

NCE  upon  a  time  two  princes  started  off  in  search 
of  adventure,  and,  falling  into  a  wild,  free  mode  of 
life,  did  not  come  home  again. 

The  third  brother,  who  was  called  the  Blockhead,  set  out 
to  look  for  the  other  two.  But  when  at  last  he  found  them, 
they  mocked  him  for  thinking  of  making  his  way  in  the  world 
with  his  simplicity,  while  they,  who  were  so  much  cleverer, 
could  not  get  on. 

They  all  three  went  on  together  till  they  came  to  an  ant 
heap.  The  two  elder  princes  wanted  to  disturb  it,  to  see 
how  the  little  ants  crept  away,  carrying  their  eggs. 

But  the  Blockhead  said :  "  Leave  the  little  creatures  alone ; 
I  will  not  allow  you  to  disturb  them." 

Then  they  went  on  farther  till  they  came  to  a  lake  in 
which  a  great  many  ducks  were  swimming  about.  The  two 
wanted  to  catch  and  roast  a  pair. 

But  the  Blockhead  would  not  allow  it,  and  said :  "  Leave 
the  creatures  alone.  You  shall  not  kill  them." 

At  last  they  came  to  a  bee's  nest,  containing  such  a  quantity 
of  honey  that  it  flowed  around  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 

The  two  princes  wanted  to  set  fire  to  the  tree  and  suf 
focate  the  bees,  so  as  to  remove  the  honey. 

But  the  Blockhead  stopped  them  again,  and  said:  "Leave 
the  creatures  alone.  I  will  not  let  you  burn  them." 

At  last  the  three  brothers  came  to.  a  castle,  where  the 
stables  were  full  of  stone  horses,  but  not  a  soul  was  to  be 
seen.  They  went  through  all  the  rooms  till  they  came  to  a 
door  quite  at  the  end,  fastened  with  three  bolts.  In  the 
middle  of  the  door  was  a  lattice,  through  which  one  could 
see  into  the  room. 

There  they  saw  a  little  gray  man  sitting  at  a  table.  They 
called  to  him  once,  twice ;  but  he  did  not  hear  them.  Finally, 
when  they  had  called  him  the  third  time,  he  stood  up  and 

[343] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

opened  the  door  and  came  out.  He  said  not  a  word,  but  led 
them  to  a  richly  spread  table,  and  when  they  had  eaten  and 
drunk,  he  took  them  each  to  a  bedroom. 

The  next  morning  the  little  Gray  Man  came  to  the  eldest 
Prince,  beckoned,  and  led  him  to  a  stone  tablet  whereon  were 
inscribed  three  tasks  by  means  of  which  the  castle  should  be 
freed  from  enchantment. 

This  was  the  first  task:  in  the  wood,  under  the  moss,  lay 
the  Princess's  pearls,  a  thousand  in  number.  These  had  all 
to  be  found,  and  if  at  sunset  a  single  one  were  missing,  the 
seeker  would  be  turned  to  stone. 

The  eldest  went  away,  and  searched  all  day,  but  when 
evening  came,  he  had  only  found  the  first  hundred,  and  it 
happened  as  the  inscription  foretold — he  was  turned  to  stone. 

The  next  day  the  second  brother  undertook  the  quest;  but 
he  fared  no  better  than  the  first,  for  he  found  only  two  hun 
dred  pearls,  and  he  too  was  turned  to  stone. 

At  last  came  the  Blockhead's  turn;  he  searched  in  the 
moss,  but  the  pearls  were  hard  to  find,  and  he  got  on  but 
slowly. 

Then  he  sat  down  on  a  rock  and  cried,  and  as  he  was 
sitting  there,  the  Ant  King,  whose  life  he  had  saved,  came  up 
with  five  thousand  ants,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the 
little  creatures  had  found  all  the  pearls  and  laid  them  in  a 
heap. 

Now  the  second  task  was  to  get  the  key  of  the  Princess's 
room  out  of  the  lake. 

When  the  Blockhead  came  to  the  lake,  the  ducks,  which 
he  had  once  saved,  swam  up,  dived,  and  brought  up  the  key 
from  the  depths. 

But  the  third  task  was  the  hardest.  The  Prince  had  to 
find  out  which  was  the  youngest  and  prettiest  of  the  prin 
cesses  while  they  were  asleep. 

They  were  exactly  alike,  and  could  not  be  distinguished  in 
any  way,  except  that  before  going  to  sleep  each  had  eaten  a 
different  kind  of  sweet.  The  eldest  a  piece  of  sugar,  the 
second  a  little  syrup,  and  the  third  a  spoonful  of  honey. 

[344] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Then  the  Queen  of  the  Bees,  whom  the  Blockhead  had 
saved  from  burning,  came  and  tried  the  lips  of  all  three. 
Finally,  she  settled  on  the  mouth  of  the  one  who  had  eaten 
the  honey,  and  so  the  Prince  recognized  the  right  one. 

Then  the  charm  was  broken  and  everything  in  the  castle 
was  set  free,  and  those  who  had  been  turned  to  stone  took 
human  form  again. 

And  the  Blockhead  married  the  youngest  and  sweetest 
Princess,  and  became  King  after  her  father's  death,  while 
his  two  brothers  married  the  other  sisters. 


The    Many -Furred  Creature 

rHERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  king  who  had  a  wife 
with  golden  hair,  and  she  was  so  beautiful  that  you 
couldn't  find  anyone  like  her  in  the  world.     It  hap 
pened  that  she  fell  ill,  and  when  she  felt  that  she  must  soon 
die  she  sent  for  the  King  and  said:  "If  you  want  to  marry 
after  my  death,  make  no  one  queen  unless  she  is  just  as  beau 
tiful  as   I  am   and   has   just   such  golden  hair   as   I   have. 
Promise  me  this."     After  the  King  had  promised  her  this 
she  closed  her  eyes  and  died. 

For  a  long  time  the  King  was  not  to  be  comforted,  and 
he  did  not  even  think  of  taking  a  second  wife.  At  last  his 
councilors  said :  "  The  King  must  marry  again,  so  that  we 
may  have  a  Queen."  So  messengers  were  sent  far  and  wide 
to  seek  for  a  bride  equal  to  the  late  Queen  in  beauty.  But 
there  was  no  one  in  the  wide  world,  and  if  there  had  been 
she  could  not  have  had  such  golden  hair.  Then  the  mes 
sengers  came  home  again,  not  having  been  able  to  find  a 
queen. 

Now,  the  King  had  a  daughter  who  was  just  as  beautiful 
as  her  dead  mother  and  had  just  such  golden  hair.  One 
day,  when  she  had  grown  up,  her  father  looked  at  her  and 
saw  that  she  was  exactly  like  her  mother,  so  he  said  to  his 

[345] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

councilors :  "  I  will  marry  my  daughter  to  one  of  you  and 
she  shall  be  Queen,  for  she  is  exactly  like  her  dead  mother, 
and  when  I  die  her  husband  shall  be  King."  But  when  the 
Princess  heard  of  her  father's  decision  she  was  not  at  all 
pleased  and  said  to  him :  "  Before  I  do  your  bidding  I  must 
have  three  dresses;  one  as  golden  as  the  sun,  one  as  silver 
as  the  moon,  and  one  as  shining  as  the  stars.  Besides  these, 
I  want  a  cloak  made  of  a  thousand  different  kinds  of  skin. 
Every  animal  in  your  kingdom  must  give  a  bit  of  his  skin 
to  it."  But  she  thought  to  herself :  "  This  will  be  quite  im 
possible,  and  I  shall  not  have  to  marry  some  one  I  do  not 
care  for." 

The  King,  however,  was  not  to  be  turned  from  his  pur 
pose,  and  he  commanded  the  most  skilled  maidens  in  his 
kingdom  to  weave  the  three  dresses,  one  as  golden  as  the 
sun,  and  one  as  silver  as  the  moon,  and  one  as  shining  as 
the  stars;  and  he  gave  orders  to  all  his  huntsmen  to  catch 
one  of  every  kind  of  beast  in  the  kingdom  and  to  get  a  bit 
oi  its  skin  to  make  the  cloak  of  a  thousand  pieces  of  fur. 
At  last,  when  all  was  ready,  the  King  commanded  the  cloak 
to  be  brought  to  him,  and  he  spread  it  out  before  the  Prin 
cess  and  said :  "  To-morrow  shall  be  your  wedding  day." 
When  the  Princess  saw  that  there  was  no  more  hope  of 
changing  her  father's  resolution,  she  determined  to  flee  away. 

In  the  night,  when  everyone  else  was  sleeping,  she  got  up 
and  took  three  things  from  her  treasures,  a  gold  ring,  a  little 
gold  spinning  wheel,  and  a  gold  reel.  She  put  the  sun, 
moon,  and  star  dresses  in  a  nut  shell,  drew  on  the  cloak  of 
many  skins,  and  made  her  face  and  hands  black  with  soot. 
Then  she  commended  herself  to  God  and  went  out  and  trav 
eled  the  whole  night  till  she  came  to  a  large  forest.  And  as 
she  was  very  much  tired  she  sat  down  inside  a  hollow  tree 
and  fell  asleep. 

The  sun  rose  and  she  still  slept  on  and  on,  although  it  was 
nearly  noon.  Now,  it  happened  that  the  King  to  whom  this 
wood  belonged  was  hunting  in  it.  When  his  dogs  came  to 
the  tree  they  sniffed  and  ran  round  and  round  it,  barking. 

[346] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

The  King  said  to  the  huntsmen :  "  See  what  sort  of  a  wild 
beast  is  in  there."  The  huntsmen  went  in  and  then  came 
back  and  said :  "  In  the  hollow  tree  there  lies  a  wonderful 
animal  that  we  don't  know,  and  we  have  never  seen  one  like 
it.  Its  skin  is  made  of  a  thousand  pieces  of  fur;  but  it  is 
lying  down  asleep."  The  King  said :  "  See  if  you  can  catch 
it  alive,  and  then  fasten  it  to  the  cart  and  we  will  take  it 
with  us." 

When  the  huntsmen  seized  the  maiden,  she  awoke  and  was 
frightened  and  cried  out  to  them:  "I  am  a  poor  child,  for 
saken  by  father  and  mother.  Take  pity  on  me  and  let  me 
go  with  you."  Then  they  said  to  her :  "  Many-furred  Crea 
ture,  you  can  work  in  the  kitchen.  Come  with  us  and  sweep 
the  ashes  together."  So  they  put  her  in  the  cart  and  went 
back  to  the  palace.  There  they  showed  her  a  tiny  room 
under  the  stairs,  where  no  daylight  came,  and  said  to  her : 
"  Many-furred  Creature,  you  can  live  and  sleep  here."  Then 
she  was  sent  into  the  kitchen,  where  she  carried  wood  and 
water,  poked  the  fire,  washed  vegetables,  plucked  fowls,  swept 
up  the  ashes,  and  did  all  the  dirty  work. 

So  the  Many-furred  Creature  lived  for  a  long  time  in  great 
poverty.  Ah,  beautiful  king's  daughter,  what  is  going  to 
befall  you  now  ? 

It  happened  once  when  a  great  feast  was  being  held  in  the 
palace  that  she  said  to  the  cook :  "  Can  I  go  upstairs  for  a 
little  bit  and  look  on?  I  will  stand  outside  the  doors."  The 
cook  replied :  "  Yes,  you  can  go  up,  but  in  half  an  hour  you 
must  be  back  here  to  sweep  up  the  ashes."  Then  she  took 
her  little  oil  lamp  and  went  into  her  little  room,  drew  off  her 
fur  cloak,  and  washed  off  the  soot  from  her  face  and  hands, 
so  that  her  beauty  shone  forth,  and  it  was  as  if  one  sun 
beam  after  another  were  coming  out  of  a  black  cloud.  Then 
she  opened  the  nut  and  took  out  the  dress  as  golden  as  the 
sun.  And  when  she  had  done  this  she  went  up  to  the  feast, 
and  everyone  stepped  out  of  her  way,  for  nobody  knew  her, 
and  they  thought  she  must  be  a  king's  daughter.  But  the 
King  came  toward  her  and  gave  her  his  hand,  and  danced 

[347] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

with  her,  thinking  to  himself,  "  My  eyes  have  never  beheld 
anyone  so  fair !  "  When  the  dance  was  ended  she  courtesied 
to  him,  and  when  the  King  looked  around  she  had  disap 
peared,  no  one  knew  whither.  The  guards  who  were  standing 
before  the  palace  were  called  and  questioned,  but  no  one  had 
seen  her. 

She  had  run  to  her  little  room  and  had  quickly  taken  off 
her  dress,  made  her  face  and  hands  black,  put  on  the  fur 
cloak,  and  was  once  more  the  Many-furred  Creature.  When 
she  came  into  the  kitchen  and  was  setting  about  her  work 
of  sweeping  the  ashes  together  the  cook  said  to  her :  "  Let 
that  wait  till  to-morrow,  and  just  cook  the  King's  soup  for 
me.  I  want  to  have  a  little  peep  at  the  company  upstairs. 
But  be  sure  that  you  do  not  let  a  hair  fall  into  it,  otherwise 
you  will  get  nothing  to  eat  in  future*!  "  So  the  cook  went 
away,  and  the  Many-furred  Creature  cooked  the  soup  for  the 
King.  She  made  a  bread  soup  as  well  as  she  possibly  could, 
and  when  it  was  done  she  fetched  her  gold  ring  from  her 
little  room  and  laid  it  in  the  tureen  in  which  the  soup  was 
to  be  served  up. 

When  the  dance  was  ended  the  King  had  his  soup  brought 
to  him  and  ate  it,  and  it  was  so  good  that  he  thought  he 
had  never  tasted  such  soup  in  his  life.  But  when  he  came 
to  the  bottom  of  the  dish  he  saw  a  gold  ring  lying  there, 
and  he  could  not  imagine  how  it  got  in.  Then  he  commanded 
the  cook  to  be  brought  before  him.  The  cook  was  terrified 
when  he  heard  the  command  and  said  to  the  Many-furred 
Creature :  "  You  must  have  let  a  hair  fall  into  the  soup,  and 
if  you  have  you  deserve  a  good  beating !  " 

When  he  came  before  the  King,  the  King  asked  who  had 
cooked  the  soup.  The  cook  answered :  "  I  cooked  it."  But 
the  King  said :  "  That's  not  true,  for  it  was  quite  different  and 
much  better  soup  than  you  have  ever  cooked."  Then  the  cook 
said :  "  I  must  confess.  I  did  not  cook  the  soup ;  the  Many- 
furred  Creature  did."  "  Let  her  be  brought  before  me,"  said 
the  King. 

When  the  Many-furred  Creature  came  the  King  asked  her 

[348] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

who  she  was.  "  I  am  a  poor  child  without  father  or  mother." 
Then  he  asked  her :  "  What  do  you  do  in  my  palace  ?  "  "I  am 
of  no  use  except  to  have  boots  thrown  at  my  head."  "  How 
did  you  get  the  ring  which  was  in  the  soup  ?  "  he  asked.  "  I 
know  nothing  at  all  about  the  ring,"  she  answered.  So  the 
King  could  find  out  nothing  and  was  obliged  to  send  her  away. 

After  a  time  there  was  another  feast,  and  the  Many-furred 
Creature  begged  the  cook  again  to  let  her  go  and  look  on. 
He  answered:  "Yes,  but  come  back  again  in  half  an  hour 
and  cook  the  King  the  bread  soup  that  he  likes  so  much/' 
So  she  ran  away  to  her  little  room,  washed  herself  quickly, 
took  out  of  the  nut  the  dress  as  silver  as  the  moon  and  put 
it  on.  Then  she  went  upstairs  looking  just  like  a  king's 
daughter,  and  the  King  came  toward  her,  delighted  to  see  her 
again,  and  as  the  dance  had  just  begun,  they  danced  together. 
But  when  the  dance  was  ended  she  disappeared  again  so 
quickly  that  the  King  could  not  see  which  way  she  went. 

She  ran  to  her  little  room  and  changed  herself  once  more 
into  the  Many-furred  Creature,  and  went  into  the  kitchen  to 
cook  the  bread  soup.  When  the  cook  was  upstairs  she 
fetched  the  golden  spinning  wheel  and  put  it  in  the  dish,  so 
that  the  soup  was  poured  over  it.  It  was  brought  to  the 
King,  who  ate  it  and  liked  it  as  much  as  the  last  time.  He 
had  the  cook  sent  to  him,  and  again  he  had  to  confess  that 
the  Many-furred  Creature  had  cooked  the  soup.  Then  the 
Many- fur  red  Creature  came  before  the  King,  but  she  said 
again  that  she  was  of  no  use  except  to  have  boots  thrown 
at  her  head,  and  that  she  knew  nothing  at  all  of  the  golden 
spinning  wheel. 

When  the  King  had  a  feast  for  the  third  time  things  did 
not  turn  out  quite  the  same  as  they  had  before.  The  cook 
said :  "  You  must  be  a  witch,  Many-furred  Creature,  for  you 
always  put  something  in  the  soup,  so  that  it  is  much  better 
and  tastes  nicer  to  the  King  than  any  that  I  cook."  But 
because  she  begged  hard  he  let  her  go  up  for  the  third  time. 
Now  she  put  on  the  dress  as  shining  as  the  stars  and  stepped 
into  the  hall  in  it. 

[349] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

The  King  danced  again  with  the  beautiful  maiden,  and 
thought  she  had  never  looked  so  beautiful.  And  while  he 
was  dancing  he  put  a  gold  ring  on  her  finger  without  her 
seeing  it,  and  he  commanded  that  the  dance  should  last  longer 
than  usual.  When  it  was  finished  he  wanted  to  keep  her 
hands  in  his,  but  she  broke  from  him  and  sprang  so  quickly 
away  among  the  people  that  she  vanished  from  his  sight. 
She  ran  as  fast  as  she  could  to  her  little  room  under  the 
stairs,  but  because  she  had  stayed  too  long  beyond  the  half 
hour  she  could  not  stop  to  take  off  the  beautiful  dress,  but 
only  threw  the  fur  cloak  over  it,  and  in  her  haste  did  not 
make  herself  quite  black  with  the  soot,  one  finger  remaining 
white. 

The  Many-furred  Creature  now  ran  into  the  kitchen,  cooked 
the  King's  bread  soup,  and  when  the  cook  had  gone  she  laid 
the  golden  reel  in  the  dish.  When  the  King  found  the  reel 
at  the  bottom,  he  had  the  Many-furred  Creature  brought  to 
him,  and  then  he  saw  the  white  finger  and  the  ring  which 
he  had  put  on  her  hand  in  the  dance.  Then  he  took  her 
hand  and  held  her  tightly,  and  as  she  was  trying  to  get 
away  she  undid  the  fur  cloak  a  little  bit  and  the  star  dress 
shone  out.  The  King  seized  the  cloak  and  tore  it  off  her. 
Her  golden  hair  came  down,  and  she  stood  there  in  her  full 
splendor  and  could  not  hidew  herself  away  any  more.  And 
when  the  soot  and  ashes  had  been  washed  from  her  face  she 
looked  more  beautiful  than  anyone  in  the  world.  But  the 
King  said :  "  You  are  my  dear  bride  and  we  will  never  be 
separated  from  each  other."  So  the  wedding  was  celebrated 
and  they  lived  happily  ever  after. 

Snow-white   and  Rose-red 

4  POOR  widow  once  lived  in  a  little  cottage  with  a 

J-i    garden  in  front  of  it,  in  which  grew  two  rose  trees, 

^  JL      one  bearing  white  roses  and  the  other  red.    She  had 

two  children,  who  were  just  like  the  two  rose  trees;  one  was 

[350] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

called  Snow-white  and  the  other  Rose-red,  and  they  were  the 
sweetest  and  best  children  in  the  world,  always  diligent  and 
always  cheerful ;  but  Snow-white  was  quieter  and  more  gentle 
than  Rose-red.  Rose-red  loved  to  run  about  the  fields  and 
meadows  and  to  pick  flowers  and  catch  butterflies ;  but  Snow- 
white  sat  at  home  with  her  mother  and  helped  her  in  the 
household,  or  read  aloud  to  her  when  there  was  no  work  to 
do.  The  two  children  loved  each  other  so  dearly  that  they 
always  walked  about,  hand  in  hand,  whenever  they  went  out 
together,  and  when  Snow-white  said,  "  We  will  never  desert 
each  other,"  Rose-red  answered,  "  No,  not  as  long  as  we  live  " ; 
and  the  mother  added :  "  Whatever  one  gets  she  shall  share 
with  the  other."  They  often  roamed  about  in  the  woods  gath 
ering  berries,  and  no  beast  offered  to  hurt  them ;  on  the  con 
trary,  they  came  up  to  them  in  the  most  confiding  manner; 
the  little  hare  would  eat  a  cabbage  leaf  from  their  hands,  the 
deer  grazed  beside  them,  the  stag  would  bound  past  them 
merrily,  and  the  birds  remained  on  the  branches  and  sang 
to  them  with  all  their  might.  No  evil  ever  befell  them;  if 
they  tarried  late  in  the  wood  and  night  overtook  them,  they 
lay  down  together  on  the  moss  and  slept  till  morning,  and 
their  mother  knew  they  were  quite  safe  and  never  felt  anxious 
about  them.  Once,  when  they  had  slept  the  night  in  the 
wood  and  had  been  wakened  by  the  morning  sun,  they  per 
ceived  a  beautiful  child  in  a  shining  white  robe  sitting  close 
to  their  resting  place.  The  figure  rose  up,  looked  at  them 
kindly,  but  said  nothing  and  vanished  into  the  wood.  And 
when  they  looked  round  about  them  they  became  aware  that 
they  had  slept  quite  close  to  a  precipice,  over  which  they  would 
certainly  have  fallen  had  they  gone  on  a  few  steps  farther 
in  the  darkness.  And  when  they  told  their  mother  of  their 
adventure,  she  said  what  they  had  seen  must  have  been  the 
angel  that  guards  good  children. 

Snow-white  and  Rose-red  kept  their  mother's  cottage  so 
beautifully  clean  and  neat  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  go  into 
it.  In  summer  Rose-red  looked  after  the  house,  and  every 
morning  before  her  mother  awoke  she  placed  a  bunch  of 

[351] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

flowers  before  the  bed,  and  a  rose  from  each  tree.  In  winter 
Snow-white  lit  the  fire  and  put  on  the  kettle,  which  was  made 
of  brass,  but  so  beautifully  polished  that  it  shone  like  gold. 
In  the  evening  when  the  snowflakes  fell,  their  mother  said, 
"  Snow-white,  go  and  close  the  shutters " ;  and  they  drew 
round  the  fire,  while  the  mother  put  on  her  spectacles  and 
read  aloud  from  a  big  book,  and  the  two  girls  listened  and 
sat  and  spun.  Beside  them  on  the  ground  lay  a  little  lamb, 
and  behind  them  perched  a  little  white  dove  with  its  head 
tucked  under  its  wings. 

One  evening  as  they  sat  thus  cozily  together  some  one 
knocked  at  the  door  as  though  he  desired  admittance.  The 
mother  said :  "  Rose-red,  open  the  door  quickly !  it  must  be 
some  traveler  seeking  shelter."  Rose-red  hastened  to  unbar 
the  door,  and  thought  she  saw  a  poor  man  standing  in  the 
darkness  outside ;  but  it  was  no  such  thing,  only  a  bear,  who 
poked  his  thick  black  head  through  the  door.  Rose-red 
screamed  aloud  and  sprang  back  in  terror,  the  lamb  began  to 
bleat,  the  dove  flapped  its  wings,  and  Snow-white  ran  and 
hid  behind  her  mother's  bed.  But  the  bear  began  to  speak, 
and  said :  "  Don't  be  afraid ;  I  won't  hurt  you.  I  am  half 
frozen,  and  only  wish  to  warm  myself  a  little."  "  My  poor 
bear,"  said  the  mother,  "  lie  down  by  the  fire,  only  take  care 
you  don't  burn  your  fur."  Then  she  called  out :  "  Snow-white 
and  Rose-red,  come  out ;  the  bear  will  do  you  no  harm ;  he  is 
a  good,  honest  creature."  So  they  both  came  out  of  their 
hiding  places,  and  gradually  the  lamb  and  dove  drew  near  too, 
and  they  all  forgot  their  fear.  The  bear  asked  the  children 
to  beat  the  snow  a  little  out  of  his  fur,  and  they  fetched  a  brush 
and  scrubbed  him  till  he  was  dry.  Then  the  beast  stretched 
himself  in  front  of  the  fire  and  growled  quite  happily  and  com 
fortably.  The  children  soon  grew  quite  at  their  ease  with 
him  and  led  their  hapless  guest  a  fearful  life.  They  tugged 
his  fur  with  their  hands,  put  their  small  feet  on  his  back,  and 
rolled  him  about  here  and  there,  or  took  a  hazel  wand  and 
beat  him  with  it;  and  if  he  growled  they  only  laughed.  The 
bear  submitted  to  everything  with  the  best  possible  good 

[352] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

nature,  only  when  they  went  too  far  he  cried :  "  O  children, 
spare  my  life! 

" '  Snow-white  and  Rose-red, 
Don't  beat  your  lover  dead.'  " 

When  it  was  time  to  retire  for  the  night  and  the  others  went 
to  bed,  the  mother  said  to  the  bear :  "  You  can  lie  there  on 
the  hearth,  in  Heaven's  name ;  it  will  be  shelter  for  you  from 
the  cold  and  wet."  As  soon  as  day  dawned  the  children  let 
him  out,  and  he  trotted  over  the  snow  into  the  wood.  From 
this  time  on  the  bear  came  every  evening  at  the  same  hour, 
and  lay  down  by  the  hearth  and  let  the  children  play  what 
pranks  they  liked  with  him;  and  they  grew  so  accustomed  to 
him  that  the  door  was  never  shut  till  their  black  friend  had 
made  his  appearance. 

When  spring  came  and  all  outside  was  green,  the  bear  said 
one  morning  to  Snow-white :  "  Now  I  must  go  away  and  not 
return  again  the  whole  summer."  "  Where  are  you  going  to, 
dear  bear  ?  "  asked  Snow-white.  "  I  must  go  to  the  wood  and 
protect  my  treasure  from  the  wicked  dwarfs.  In  winter,  when 
the  earth  is  frozen  hard,  they  are  obliged  to  remain  under 
ground,  for  they  can't  work  their  way  through;  but  now, 
when  the  sun  has  thawed  and  warmed  the  ground,  they  break 
through  and  come  up  above  to  spy  the  land  and  steal  what 
they  can.  What  once  falls  into  their  hands  and  into  their 
caves  is  not  easily  brought  back  to  light."  Snow-white  was 
quite  sad  over  their  friend's  departure,  and  when  she  unbarred 
the  door  for  him  the  bear,  stepping  out,  caught  a  piece  of  his 
fur  in  the  door  knocker,  and  Snow-white  thought  she  caught 
sight  of  glittering  gold  beneath  it,  but  she  couldn't  be  certain 
of  it;  and  the  bear  ran  hastily  away  and  soon  disappeared 
behind  the  trees. 

A  short  time  after  this  the  mother  sent  the  children  into 
the  wood  to  collect  fagots.  They  came  in  their  wanderings 
upon  a  big  tree  which  lay  felled  on  the  ground,  and  on  the 
trunk  among  the  long  grass  they  noticed  something  jumping 
up  and  down,  but  what  it  was  they  couldn't  distinguish. 

[353] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

When  they  approached  nearer  they  perceived  a  dwarf  with 
a  wizened  face  and  a  beard  a  yard  long.  The  end  of  the 
beard  was  jammed  into  a  cleft  of  the  tree,  and  the  little  man 
sprang  about  like  a  dog  on  a  chain,  and  didn't  seem  to  know 
what  he  was  to  do.  He  glared  at  the  girls  with  his  fiery  red 
eyes  and  screamed  out :  "  What  are  you  standing  there  for  ? 
Can't  you  come  and  help  me  ?  "  "  What  were  you  doing,  little 
man  ?  "  asked  Rose-red.  "  You  stupid,  inquisitive  goose !  "  re 
plied  the  dwarf ;  "  I  wanted  to  split  the  tree  in  order  to  get 
little  chips  of  wood  for  our  kitchen  fire ;  those  thick  logs  that 
serve  to  make  fires  for  coarse,  greedy  people  like  yourselves 
quite  burn  up  all  the  little  food  we  need.  I  had  successfully 
driven  in  the  wedge  and  all  was  going  well,  but  the  horrid 
wood  was  so  slippery  that  it  suddenly  sprang  out,  and  the 
tree  closed  up  so  rapidly  that  I  had  no  time  to  take  my  beau 
tiful  white  beard  out,  so  here  I  am  stuck  fast  and  I  can't  get 
away;  and  you  silly,  smooth-faced,  milk-and-water  girls  just 
stand  and  laugh.  Ugh,  what  wretches  you  are !  " 

The  children  did  all  in  their  power,  but  they  couldn't  get 
the  beard  out ;  it  was  wedged  in  far  too  firmly.  "  I  will  run 
and  fetch  somebody,"  said  Rose-red.  "  Crazy  blockheads ! " 
snapped  the  dwarf ;  "  what's  the  good  of  calling  anyone  else  ? 
You're  already  two  too  many  for  me.  Does  nothing  better 
occur  to  you  than  that?"  "Don't  be  so  impatient,"  said 
Snow-white.  "  I'll  see  you  get  help."  And  taking  her  scis 
sors  out  of  her  pocket  she  cut  the  end  off  his  beard.  As  soon 
as  the  dwarf  felt  himself  free  he  seized  a  bagful  of  gold  which 
was  hidden  among  the  roots  of  the  tree,  lifted  it  up,  and  mut 
tered  aloud :  "  Curse  these  rude  wretches,  cutting  off  a  piece 
of  my  splendid  beard !  "  With  these  words  he  swung  the  bag 
over  his  back  and  disappeared  without  as  much  as  looking 
at  the  children  again. 

Shortly  after  this  Snow-white  and  Rose-red  went  out  to 
get  a  dish  of  fish.  As  they  approached  the  stream  they  saw 
something  which  looked  like  an  enormous  grasshopper  spring 
ing  toward  the  water  as  if  it  were  going  to  jump  in.  They 
ran  forward  and  recognized  their  old  friend,  the  dwarf. 

[354] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Where  are  you  going  to?  "  asked  Rose-red.  "  You're  surely 
not  going  to  jump  into  the  water?"  "  I'm  not  such  a  fool," 
screamed  the  dwarf.  "  Don't  you  see  that  horrid  fish  is  trying 
to  drag  me  in?"  The  little  man  had  been  sitting  on  the 
bank  fishing,  when  unfortunately  the  wind  had  entangled  his 
beard  in  the  line ;  and  when  immediately  afterwards  a  big  fish 
bit,  the  feeble  little  creature  had  no  strength  to  pull  it  out. 
The  fish  had  the  upper  fin  and  dragged  the  dwarf  toward  him. 
He  clung  on  with  all  his  might  to  every  rush  and  blade  of 
grass,  but  it  didn't  help  him  much.  He  had  to  follow  every 
movement  of  the  fish  and  was  in  great  danger  of  being  drawn 
into  the  water.  The  girls  came  up  just  at  the  right  moment, 
held  him  firm,  and  did  all  they  could  to  disentangle  his  beard 
from  the  line ;  but  in  vain — beard  and  line  were  in  a  hopeless 
muddle.  Nothing  remained  but  to  produce  the  scissors  and 
cut  the  beard,  by  which  a  small  part  of  it  was  sacrificed. 

When  the  dwarf  perceived  what  they  were  about,  he  yelled 
to  them :  "  Do  you  call  that  manners,  you  toadstools !  to  dis 
figure  a  fellow's  face  ?  It  wasn't  enough  that  you  shortened 
my  beard  before,  but  you  must  now  needs  cut  off  the  best 
of  it.  I  can't  appear  like  this  before  my  own  people.  I  wish 
you'd  been  at  Jericho  first."  Then  he  fetched  a  sack  of  pearls 
that  lay  among  the  rushes,  and  without  saying  another  word 
he  dragged  it  away  and  disappeared  behind  a  stone. 

It  happened  that  soon  after  this  the  mother  sent  the  two 
girls  to  the  town  to  buy  needles,  thread,  laces,  and  ribbons. 
Their  road  led  over  a  heath  where  huge  bowlders  of  rock  lay 
scattered  here  and  there.  While  trudging  along  they  saw  a 
big  bird  hovering  in  the  air,  circling  slowly  above  them, 
but  always  descending  lower,  till  at  last  it  settled  on  a  rock 
not  far  from  them.  Immediately  afterwards  they  heard  a 
sharp,  piercing  cry.  They  ran  forward  and  saw  with  horror 
that  the  eagle  had  pounced  on  their  old  friend  the  dwarf  and 
was  about  to  carry  him  off.  The  tender-hearted  children 
seized  hold  of  the  little  man,  and  struggled  so  long  with 
the  bird  that  at  last  he  let  go  his  prey.  When  the  dwarf  had 
recovered  from  the  first  shock  he  screamed  in  his  squeaking 

[3551 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

voice :  "  Couldn't  you  have  treated  me  more  carefully  ?  You 
have  torn  my  thin  little  coat  all  to  shreds,  useless,  awkward 
hussies  that  you  are !  "  Then  he  took  a  bag  of  precious  stones 
and  vanished  under  the  rocks  into  his  cave.  The  girls  were 
accustomed  to  his  ingratitude,  and  went  on  their  way  and  did 
their  business  in  town.  On  their  way  home,  as  they  were 
again  passing  the  heath,  they  surprised  the  dwarf  pouring  out 
his  precious  stones  on  an  open  space,  for  he  had  thought  no 
one  would  pass  by  at  so  late  an  hour.  The  evening  sun  shone 
on  the  glittering  stones,  and  they  glanced  and  gleamed  so 
beautifully  that  the  children  stood  still  and  gazed  on  them. 
"  What  are  you  standing  there  gaping  for  ?  "  screamed  the 
dwarf,  and  his  ashen-gray  face  became  scarlet  with  rage.  He 
was  about  to  go  off  with  these  angry  words,  when  a  sudden 
growl  was  heard  and  a  black  bear  trotted  out  of  the  wood. 
The  dwarf  jumped  up  in  a  great  fright,  but  he  hadn't  time 
to  reach  his  place  of  retreat,  for  the  bear  was  already  close 
to  him.  Then  he  cried  in  terror :  "  Dear  Mr.  Bear,  spare  me ! 
I'll  give  you  all  my  treasure.  Look  at  these  beautiful  precious 
stones  lying  there.  Spare  my  life !  What  pleasure  would  you 
get  from  a  poor,  feeble  little  fellow  like  me?  You  won't  feel 
me  between  your  teeth.  There,  lay  hold  of  these  two  wicked 
girls — they  will  be  a  tender  morsel  for  you,  as  fat  as  young 
quails;  eat  them  up,  for  Heaven's  sake."  But  the  bear,  pay 
ing  no  attention  to  his  words,  gave  the  evil  little  creature  one 
blow  with  his  paw  and  he  never  moved  again. 

The  girls  had  run  away,  but  the  bear  called  after  them: 
"  Snow-white  and  Rose-red,  don't  be  afraid.  Wait,  and  I'll 
come  with  you."  Then  they  recognized  his  voice  and  stood 
still,  and  when  the  bear  was  quite  close  to  them  his  skin 
suddenly  fell  off,  and  a  beautiful  man  stood  beside  them,  all 
dressed  in  gold.  "  I  am  a  king's  son,"  he  said,  "  and  have 
been  doomed  by  that  unholy  little  dwarf,  who  had  stolen  my 
treasure,  to  roam  about  the  woods  as  a  wild  bear  till  his 
death  should  set  me  free.  Now  he  has  received  his  well- 
merited  punishment." 

Snow-white  married  him  and  Rose-red  his  brother,  and  they 

[356] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

divided  the  great  treasure  the  dwarf  had  collected  in  his  cave 
between  them.  The  old  mother  lived  for  many  years  peace 
fully  with  her  children;  and  she  carried  the  two  rose  trees 
with  her,  and  they  stood  in  front  of  her  window,  and  every 
year  they  bore  the  finest  red  and  white  roses. 


The   Frog   Prince 


/N  times  of  yore,  when  wishes  were  both  heard  and 
granted,  lived  a  king  whose  daughters  were  all  beau 
tiful,  but  the  youngest  was  so  lovely  that  the  sun  him 
self,  who  has  seen  so  much,  wondered  at  her  beauty  every 
time  he  looked  in  her  face.  Now,  near  the  King's  castle  was 
a  large  dark  forest;  and  in  the  forest,  under  an  old  linden 
tree,  was  a  deep  well.  When  the  day  was  very  hot,  the  King's 
daughter  used  to  go  to  the  wood  and  seat  herself  at  the  edge 
of  the  cool  well;  and  when  she  became  wearied  she  would 
take  a  golden  ball,  throw  it  up  in  the  air,  and  catch  it  again. 
This  was  her  favorite  amusement.  Once  it  happened  that  her 
golden  ball,  instead  of  falling  back  into  the  little  hand  that 
she  stretched  out  for  it,  dropped  on  the  ground  and  imme 
diately  rolled  away  into  the  water.  The  King's  daughter  fol 
lowed  it  with  her  eyes,  but  the  ball  had  vanished  and  the  well 
was  so  deep  that  no  one  could  see  down  to  the  bottom.  Then 
she  began  to  weep,  wept  louder  and  louder  every  minute,  and 
could  not  console  herself  at  all. 

While  she  was  thus  lamenting,  some  one  called  to  her: 
"What  is  the  matter  with  you,  King's  daughter?  You  weep 
so  bitterly  that  you  would  touch  the  heart  of  a  stone." 

She  looked  around  to  see  whence  the  voice  came,  and  saw 
a  frog  stretching  his  thick,  ugly  head  out  of  the  water. 

"  Ah,  it  is  you,  old  water  paddler !  "  said  she.  "  I  am  crying 
for  my  golden  ball,  which  has  fallen  into  the  well." 

"  Be  content,"  answered  the  Frog,  "  I  dare  say  I  can  give 
you  some  good  advice;  but  what  will  you  give  me  if  I  bring 
back  your  plaything  to  you  ?  " 

[357] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

"  Whatever  you  like,  dear  Frog,"  said  she,  "  my  clothes,  my 
pearls,  and  jewels,  even  the  golden  crown  I  wear." 

The  Frog  answered :  "  Your  clothes,  your  pearls,  and  jewels, 
even  your  golden  crown  I  do  not  care  for;  but  if  you  will 
love  me,  and  let  me  be  your  companion  and  playfellow ;  sit 
near  you  at  your  little  table,  eat  from  your  little  golden  plate, 
drink  from  your  little  cup,  and  sleep  in  your  little  bed — 
if  you  will  promise  me  this,  then  I  will  bring  you  back  your 
golden  ball  from  the  bottom  of  the  well." 

"  Oh,  yes !  "  said  she ;  "  I  promise  you  everything,  if  you 
will  only  bring  me  back  my  golden  ball." 

She  thought  to  herself  meanwhile :  "  What  nonsense  the 
silly  Frog  talks !  He  sits  in  the  water  with  the  other  frogs 
and  croaks,  and  cannot  be  anybody's  playfellow." 

But  the  Frog,  as  soon  as  he  had  received  the  promise,  dipped 
his  head  under  the  water  and  sank  down.  In  a  little  while  up 
he  came  again  with  the  ball  in  his  mouth,  and  threw  it  on  the 
grass.  The  King's  daughter  was  overjoyed  when  she  beheld 
her  pretty  plaything  and  picked  it  up  and  ran  away  with  it. 

"  Wait !  wait !  "  cried  the  Frog;  "  take  me  with  you.  I  can 
not  run  as  fast  as  you." 

Alas !  of  what  use  was  it  that  he  croaked  after  her  as  loud 
as  he  could.  She  would  not  listen  to  him,  but  hastened  home, 
and  soon  forgot  the  poor  Frog,  who  was  obliged  to  plunge 
again  to  the  bottom  of  his  well. 

The  next  day,  when  she  was  sitting  at  dinner  with  the  King 
and  all  the  courtiers,  eating  from  her  little  golden  plate,  there 
came  a  sound  of  something  creeping  up  the  marble  staircase 
— splish,  splash ;  and  when  it  had  reached  the  top,  it  knocked 
at  the  door  and  cried :  "  Youngest  King's  daughter,  open 
to  me." 

She  ran,  wishing  to  see  who  was  outside;  but  when  she 
opened  the  door,  and  there  sat  the  Frog,  she  flung  it  hastily 
to  again,  and  sat  down  at  table,  feeling  very,  very  uncom 
fortable.  The  King  saw  that  her  heart  was  beating  violently, 
and  said :  "  Well,  my  child,  why  are  you  afraid  ?  Is  a  giant 
standing  outside  the  door  to  carry  you  off  ?  " 

[  358"]  ' 


THE    FAIRT  RING 

"  Oh,  no!  "  answered  she,  "  it  is  no  giant,  but  a  nasty  frog, 
who  yesterday,  when  I  was  playing  in  the  wood  near  the  well, 
fetched  my  golden  ball  out  of  the  water.  For  this  I  promised 
him  he  should  be  my  companion,  but  I  never  thought  he  could 
come  out  of  his  well.  Now  he  is  at  the  door,  and  wants  to 
come  in." 

Again,  the  second  time  there  was  a  knock,  and  a  voice  cried : 

"  Youngest  King's  daughter, 

Open  to  me ; 
Know  you  what  yesterday 

You  promised  me 
By  the  cool  water? 
Youngest  King's  daughter, 

Open  to  me." 

Then  said  the  King:  "What  you  promised  you  must  per 
form.  Go  and  open  the  door." 

She  went  and  opened  the  door ;  the  Frog  hopped  in,  always 
following  and  following  her  till  he  came  up  to  her  chair. 
There  he  sat  and  cried  out :  "  Lift  me  up  to  you  on  the  table." 
She  refused,  till  the  King,  her  father  commanded  her  to  do 
it.  When  the  Frog  was  on  the  table  he  said:  "Now  push 
your  little  golden  plate  nearer  to  me  that  we  may  eat  to 
gether."  She  did  as  he  desired,  but  one  could  easily  see  that 
she  did  it  unwillingly.  The  Frog  seemed  to  enjoy  his  dinner 
very  much,  but  every  morsel  she  ate  stuck  in  the  throat  of  the 
poor  little  Princess. 

Then  said  the  Frog:  "  I  have  eaten  enough,  and  am  tired; 
carry  me  to  your  little  room,  and  make  your  little  silken  bed 
smooth,  and  we  will  lay  ourselves  down  to  sleep  together." 

At  this  the  daughter  of  the  King  began  to  weep,  for  she 
was  afraid  of  the  cold  frog,  who  wanted  to  sleep  in  her  pretty 
clean  bed. 

But  the  King  looked  angrily  at  her,  and  said  again :  What 
you  have  promised  you  must  perform.  The  Frog  is  your 
companion." 

It  was  no  use  to  complain ;  whether  she  liked  it  or  not,  she 
was  obliged  to  take  the  Frog  with  her  up  to  her  little  bed. 

[359] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

So  she  picked  him  up  with  two  fingers,  hating  him  bitterly  the 
while,  and  carried  him  upstairs.  But  when  she  got  into  bed, 
instead  of  lifting  him  up  to  her,  she  threw  him  with  all  her 
strength  against  the  wall,  saying :  "  Now,  you  nasty  Frog, 
there  will  be  an  end  of  you !  " 

But  what  fell  down  from  the  wall  was  not  a  dead  frog,  but 
a  living  young  prince,  with  beautiful  and  loving  eyes,  who  at 
once  became,  by  her  own  promise  and  her  father's  will,  her 
dear  companion  and  husband.  He  told  her  how  he  had  been 
cursed  by  a  wicked  sorceress,  and  that  no  one  but  the  King's 
youngest  daughter  could  release  him  from  his  enchantment 
and  take  him  out  of  the  well. 

The  next  day  a  carriage  drove  up  to  the  palace  gates  with 
eight  white  horses,  having  white  feathers  on  their  heads  and 
golden  reins.  Behind  it  stood  the  servant  of  the  young 
Prince,  called  the  Faithful  Henry.  This  Faithful  Henry  had 
been  so  grieved  when  his  master  was  changed  into  a  frog,  that 
he  had  been  compelled  to  have  three  iron  bands  fastened 
around  his  heart,  lest  it  should  break.  Now  the  carriage  came 
to  convey  the  Prince  to  his  kingdom,  so  the  Faithful  Henry 
lifted  in  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  and  mounted  behind,  full 
of  joy  at  his  lord's  release.  But  when  they  had  gone  a  short 
distance,  the  Prince  heard  behind  him  a  noise  as  if  some 
thing  was  breaking.  He  turned  around  and  cried  out: 
"  Henry,  the  carriage  is  breaking !  " 

But  Henry  replied :  "  No,  sir,  it  is  not  the  carriage,  but  one 
of  the  bands  from  my  heart  with  which  I  was  forced  to  bind 
it  up,  or  it  would  have  broken  with  grief  while  you  sat  as  a 
frog  at  the  bottom  of  the  well." 

Twice  again  this  happened,  and  the  Prince  always  thought 
the  carriage  was  breaking ;  but  it  was  only  the  bands  breaking 
off  from  the  heart  of  the  Faithful  Henry,  out  of  joy  that  his 
lord  the  Frog  Prince  was  a  frog  no  more. 


[360] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 


Goose    Girl 

rHE  King  of  a  great  land  died,  and  left  his  Queen 
to  take  care  of  their  only  child.  This  child  was  a 
daughter  who  was  very  beautiful,  and  her  mother 
loved  her  dearly  and  was  very  kind  to  her.  And  there  was 
a  good  fairy,  too,  who  was  fond  of  the  Princess,  and  helped 
her  mother  to  watch  over  her.  When  she  grew  up  she  was 
betrothed  to  a  prince  who  lived  a  great  way  off;  and  as  the 
time  drew  near  for  her  to  be  married  she  made  ready  to  set 
off  on  her  journey  to  his  country.  Then  the  Queen,  her 
mother,  packed  up  a  great  many  costly  things;  jewels  and 
gold  and  silver;  trinkets,  fine  dresses,  and  in  short,  everything 
that  became  a  royal  bride.  And  she  gave  her  a  waiting  maid 
to  ride  with  her,  and  give  her  into  the  bridegroom's  hands; 
and  each  had  a  horse  for  the  journey.  Now  the  Princess's 
horse  was  the  fairy's  gift,  and  it  was  called  Falada,  and  could 
speak. 

When  the  time  came  for  them  to  set  out  the  fairy  went  into 
her  bedchamber,  and  took  a  little  knife  and  cut  off  a  lock  of 
her  hair  and  gave  it  to  the  Princess,  and  said :  "  Take  care 
of  it,  dear  child ;  for  it  is  a  charm  that  may  be  of  use  to  you 
on  the  road."  Then  they  all  took  a  sorrowful  leave  of  the 
Princess;  and  she  put  the  lock  of  hair  into  her  bosom,  got 
upon  her  horse,  and  set  off  on  her  journey  to  her  bridegroom's 
kingdom. 

One  day,  as  they  were  riding  along  by  a  brook,  the  Princess 
began  to  feel  very  thirsty,  and  she  said  to  her  maid :  "  Pray 
get  down  and  fetch  me  some  water  in  my  golden  cup  out  of 
yonder  brook,  for  I  want  to  drink."  "  Nay,"  said  the  maid, 
"  if  you  are  thirsty,  get  off  yourself  and  stoop  down  by  the 
water  and  drink ;  I  shall  not  be  your  waiting  maid  any  longer." 
Then  she  was  so  thirsty  that  she  got  down  and  knelt  over 
the  little  brook  and  drank,  for  she  was  frightened,  and  dared 
not  bring  out  her  golden  cup;  and  she  wept  and  said- 

[36i] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

"Alas!  what  will  become  of  me?"  And  the  lock  of  hair 
answered  her,  and  said: 

"  Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  would  she  rue  it." 

But  the  Princess  was  very  gentle  and  meek,  so  she  said 
nothing  to  her  maid's  ill  behavior,  but  got  upon  her  horse 
again. 

Then  all  rode  farther  on  their  journey  till  the  day  grew  so 
warm,  and  the  sun  so  scorching  that  the  bride  began  to  feel 
very  thirsty  again;  and  at  last,  when  they  came  to  a  river, 
she  forgot  her  maid's  rude  speech,  and  said :  "  Pray  get 
down  and  fetch  me  some  water  to  drink  in  my  golden  cup." 
But  the  maid  answered  her,  and  spoke  even  more  haughtily 
than  before :  "  Drink  if  you  will,  but  I  shall  not  be  your  wait 
ing  maid."  Then  the  Princess  was  so  thirsty  that  she  got 
off  her  horse  and  lay  down,  and  held  her  head  over  the  run 
ning  stream  and  cried  and  said :  "  What  will  become  of  me  ?  " 
And  the  lock  of  hair  answered  her  again : 

"  Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  would  she  rue  it." 

And  as  she  leaned  down  to  drink,  the  lock  of  hair  fell  from 
her  bosom  and  floated  away  with  the  water.  Now  she  was 
so  frightened  that  she  did  not  see  it;  but  her  maid  saw  it 
and  was  very  glad,  for  she  knew  the  charm;  and  she  saw 
that  the  poor  bride  would  be  in  her  power,  now  that  she  had 
lost  the  hair.  So  when  the  bride  had  done  drinking,  and 
would  have  got  upon  Falada  again,  the  maid  said :  "  I  shall 
ride  upon  Falada,  and  you  may  have  my  horse  instead."  So 
she  was  forced  to  give  up  her  horse,  and  soon  afterwards  to 
take  off  her  royal  clothes  and  put  on  her  maid's  shabby  ones. 

At  last,  as  they  drew  near  the  end  of  their  journey,  this 
treacherous  servant  threatened  to  kill  her  mistress  if  she  ever 
told  anyone  what  had  happened.  But  Falada  saw  it  all  and 
marked  it  well. 

Then  the  waiting  maid  got  upon  Falada,  and  the  real  bride 

[362] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

rode  upon  the  other  horse,  and  they  went  on  in  this  way  till  at 
last  they  came  to  the  royal  court.  There  was  great  joy  at 
their  coming,  and  the  Prince  flew  to  meet  them,  and  lifted 
the  maid  from  her  horse,  thinking  she  was  the  one  who 
was  to  be  his  wife;  and  she  was  led  upstairs  to  the  royal 
chamber;  but  the  true  Princess  was  told  to  stay  in  the  court 
below. 

Now  the  old  King  happened  just  then  to  have  nothing  else 
to  do,  so  he  amused  himself  by  sitting  at  his  kitchen  window, 
looking  at  what  was  going  on,  and  he  saw  her  in  the  court 
yard.  As  she  looked  very  pretty,  and  too  delicate  for  a  wait 
ing  maid,  he  went  up  into  the  royal  chamber  to  ask  the  bride 
who  it  was  she  had  brought  with  her,  that  was  thus  left 
standing  in  the  court  below.  "  I  brought  her  with  me  for 
the  sake  of  her  company  on  the  road,"  said  she ;  "  pray  give 
the  girl  some  work  to  do,  that  she  may  not  be  idle."  The  old 
King  could  not  for  some  time  think  of  any  work  for  her  to 
do,  but  at  last  he  said :  "  I  have  a  lad  who  takes  care  of  my 
geese,  she  may  go  and  help  him."  Now  the  name  of  this  lad 
that  the  real  bride  was  to  help  in  watching  the  King's  geese 
was  Curdken. 

But  the  false  bride  said  to  the  Prince :  "  Dear  husband,  pray 
do  me  one  act  of  kindness."  "  That  I  will,"  said  the  Prince. 
"  Then  tell  one  of  your  slaugbferers  to  cut  off  the  head  of  the 
horse  I  rode  upon,  for  it  was  very  unruly,  and  plagued  me 
sadly  on  the  road  " ;  but  the  truth  was,  she  was  very  much 
afraid  lest  Falada  should  some  day  or  other  speak  and  tell  all 
she  had  done  to  the  Princess.  She  carried  her  point,  and  the 
faithful  Falada  was  killed ;  but  when  the  true  Princess  heard 
of  it  she  wept,  and  begged  the  man  to  nail  up  Falada's  head 
against  a  large  dark  gate  of  the  city,  through  which  she  had 
to  pass  every  morning  and  evening,  that  there  she  might  still 
see  him  sometimes.  Then  the  slaughterer  said  he  would  do 
as  she  wished;  and  cut  off  the  head,  and  nailed  it  up  under 
the  dark  gate. 

Early  the  next  morning,  as  she  and  Curdken  went  out 
through  the  gate,  she  cried  sorrowfully: 

[363] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  Falada,  Falada,  there  them  hangestl " 

and  the  head  answered : 

"  Bride,  bride,  there  thou  gangest! 
Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  would  she  rue  it." 

Then  they  went  out  of  the  city  and  drove  the  geese  on. 
And  when  she  came  to  the  meadow  she  sat  down  upon  a  bank 
there,  and  let  down  her  waving  locks  of  hair,  which  were  all 
of  pure  silver;  and  when  Curdken  saw  it  glitter  in  the  sun 
he  ran  up,  and  would  have  pulled  some  of  the  locks  out,  but 
she  cried : 

"  Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  Curdken's  hat  go! 
Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  him  after  it  go! 
O'er  hills,  dales,  and  rocks, 

Away  be  it  whirl'd, 
Till  the  silvery  locks 

Are  all  comb'd  and  curl'd!  " 

Then  there  came  a  wind  so  strong  that  it  blew  off  Curdken's 
hat,  and  away  it  flew  over  the  hills,  and  he  was  forced  to  turn 
and  run  after  it,  till,  by  the  time  he  came  back,  she  had  done 
combing  and  curling  her  hair,  and  had  put  it  up  safe  again. 
Then  he  was  very  angry  and  sulky,  and  would  not  speak  to 
her  at  all;  but  they  watched  the  geese  until  it  grew  dark  in 
the  evening,  and  then  drove  them  homeward. 

The  next  morning,  as  they  were  going  through  the  dark 
gate,  the  poor  girl  looked  up  at  Falada's  head,  and  cried : 

"  Falada,  Falada,  there  thou  hangest!" 

and  it  answered : 

"  Bride,  bride,  there  thou  gangest! 
Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  would  she  rue  it.*' 

[364] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Then  she  drove  on  the  geese,  and  sat  down  again  in  the 
meadow,  and  began  to  comb  out  her  hair  as  before ;  and  Curd- 
ken  ran  up  to  her,  and  wanted  to  take  hold  of  it,  but  she  cried 
out  quickly: 

"  Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  Curdken's  hat  go! 
Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  him  after  it  go ! 
O'er  hills,  dales,  and  rocks, 

Away  be  it  whirl' d, 
Till  the  silvery  locks 
Are  all  comb'd  and  curl'dJ  " 

Then  a  wind  came  and  blew  away  his  hat;  and  off  it  flew  a 
great  way,  over  the  hills  and  far  away,  so  that  he  had  to  run 
after  it;  and  when  he  came  back  she  had  bound  up  her  hair 
again,  and  all  was  safe.  So  they  watched  the  geese  till  it 
grew  dark. 

In  the  evening,  after  they  came  home,  Curdken  went  to  the 
old  King,  and  said :  "  I  cannot  have  that  strange  girl  to  help 
me  to  keep  the  geese  any  longer."  "  Why  ?  "  said  the  King. 
"  Because,  instead  of  doing  any  good,  she  does  nothing  but 
tease  me  all  day  long."  Then  the  King  made  him  tell  what 
had  happened.  And  Curdken  said :  "  When  we  go  in  the 
morning  through  the  dark  gate  with  our  flock  of  geese,  she 
cries  and  talks  with  the  head  of  a  horse  that  hangs  upon  the 
wall,  and  says: 

"  Falada,  Falada,  there  thou  hangest!  " 

and  the  head  answers : 

"  Bride,  bride,  there  thou  gangest! 
Alas!  alas!  if  thy  mother  knew  it, 
Sadly,  sadly  would  she  rue  it." 

And  Curdken  went  on  telling  the  King  what  had  happened 
upon  the  meadow  where  the  geese  fed ;  how  his  hat  was  blown 
away,  and  how  he  was  forced  to  run  after  it,  and  to  leave  his 

[365] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

flock  of  geese  to  themselves.  But  the  old  King  told  the  boy 
to  go  out  again  the  next  day.  And  when  morning  came,  he 
placed  himself  behind  the  dark  gate,  and  heard  how  she 
spoke  to  Falada,  and  how  Falada  answered.  Then  he  went 
into  the  field,  and  hid  himself  in  a  bush  by  the  meadow's  side ; 
and  he  soon  saw  with  his  own  eyes  how  they  drove  the  flock 
of  geese;  and  how,  after  a  little  time,  she  let  down  her  hair 
that  glittered  in  the  sun.  And  then  he  heard  her  say : 

"  Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  Curdken's  hat  go! 
Blow,  breezes,  blow! 
Let  him  after  it  go! 
O'er  hills,  dales,  and  rocks, 

Away  be  it  whirl'd, 
Till  the  silvery  locks 

Are  all  comb'd  and  curl'd!  " 

And  soon  came  a  gale  of  wind  and  carried  away  Curdken's 
hat,  and  away  went  Curdken  after  it,  while  the  girl  went  on 
combing  and  curling  her  hair.  All  this  the  old  King  saw. 
So  he  went  home  without  being  seen,  and  when  the  little 
goose  girl  came  back  in  the  evening  he  called  her  aside,  and 
asked  her  why  she  did  this ;  but  she  burst  into  tears,  and  said : 
"  That  I  must  not  tell  you  or  any  man,  or  I  shall  lose  my  life." 

But  the  old  King  begged  so  hard  that  she  had  no  peace  till 
she  had  told  him  all  the  tale,  from  beginning  to  end,  word 
for  word.  And  it  was  very  lucky  for  her  that  she  did  so, 
for  when  she  had  done,  the  King  ordered  royal  clothes  to  be 
put  upon  her,  and  gazed  on  her  with  wonder,  she  was  so 
beautiful.  Then  he  called  his  son,  and  told  him  that  he  had 
only  the  false  bride;  for  that  she  was  merely  a  waiting  maid 
while  the  true  bride  stood  by.  And  the  young  King  rejoicec 
when  he  saw  her  beauty,  and  heard  how  meek  and  patient  she 
had  been ;  and  without  saying  anything  to  the  false  bride,  the 
King  ordered  a  great  feast  to  be  made  ready  for  all  his  court. 
The  bridegroom  sat  at  the  head,  with  the  false  Princess  on  one 
side,  and  the  true  one  on  the  other;  but  nobody  knew  her 
again,  for  her  beauty  was  quite  dazzling  to  their  eyes,  and 

[366] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

she  did  not  seem  at  all  like  the  little  goose  girl,  now  that  she 
had  her  brilliant  dress  on. 

When  they  had  eaten  and  drunk,  and  were  very  merry,  the 
old  King  said  he  would  tell  them  a  tale.  So  he  began,  and 
told  all  the  story  of  the  Princess,  as  if  it  was  one  that  he  had 
once  heard ;  and  he  asked  the  true  waiting  maid  what  she 
thought  ought  to  be  done  to  anyone  who  would  behave  thus. 
"  Nothing  better,"  said  this  false  bride,  "  than  that  she  should 
be  banished  to  the  depths  of  the  dark  woods  and  live  there 
forever."  "  Thou  art  she !  "  said  the  old  King ;  "  and  as  thou 
hast  judged  thyself,  so  shall  it  be  done  to  thee."  And  the 
young  King  was  then  married  to  his  true  wife,  and  they 
reigned  over  the  kingdom  in  peace  and  happiness  all  their 
lives ;  and  the  good  fairy  came  to  see  them,  and  restored  the 
faithful  Falada  to  life  again. 


Briar  Rose 

jj  LONG  time  ago  there  lived  a  king  and  a  queen, 

^1  who  said  every  day,  "  If  only  we  had  a  child  " ; 
•^  JL  but  for  a  long  time  they  had  none. 

It  fell  out  once,  as  the  Queen  was  bathing,  that  a  frog  crept 
out  of  the  water  on  to  the  land  and  said  to  her :  "  Your  wish 
shall  be  fulfilled ;  before  a  year  has  passed  you  shall  bring  a 
daughter  into  the  world.'* 

The  frog's  words  came  true.  The  Queen  had  a  little  girl 
who  was  so  beautiful  that  the  King  could  not  contain  himself 
for  joy,  and  prepared  a  great  feast.  He  invited  not  only  his 
relations,  friends,  and  acquaintances,  but  the  fairies,  in  order 
that  they  might  be  favorably  and  kindly  disposed  toward  the 
child.  There  were  thirteen  of  them  in  the  kingdom,  but  as 
the  King  had  only  twelve  golden  plates  for  them  to  eat  off, 
one  of  the  fairies  had  to  stay  at  home. 

The  feast  was  held  with  all  splendor,  and  when  it  came  to 
an  end  the  fairies  all  presented  the  child  with  a  magic  gift. 

[367] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

One  gave  her  virtue,  another  beauty,  a  third  riches,  and  so 
on,  with  everything  in  the  world  that  she  could  wish  for. 

When  eleven  of  the  fairies  had  said  their  say,  the  thirteenth 
suddenly  appeared.  She  wanted  to  revenge  herself  for  not 
having  been  invited.  Without  greeting  anyone,  or  even  glanc 
ing  at  the  company,  she  called  out  in  a  loud  voice,  "  The  Prin 
cess  shall  prick  herself  with  a  distaff  in  her  fifteenth  year  and 
shall  fall  down  dead  " ;  and  without  another  word  she  turned 
and  left  the  hall. 

Everyone  was  terror-stricken,  but  the  twelfth  fairy,  whose 
wish  was  still  unspoken,  stepped  forward.  She  could  not 
cancel  the  curse,  but  could  only  soften  it,  so  she  said :  "  It 
shall  not  be  death,  but  a  deep  sleep  lasting  a  hundred  years, 
into  which  your  daughter  shall  fall." 

The  King  was  so  anxious  to  guard  his  dear  child  from  the 
misfortune  that  he  sent  out  a  command  that  all  the  distaffs 
in  the  whole  kingdom  should  be  burned. 

All  the  promises  of  the  fairies  came  true. 

The  Princess  grew  up  so  beautiful,  modest,  kind,  and  clever 
that  everyone  who  saw  her  could  not  but  love  her.  Now  it 
happened  that  on  the  very  day  when  she  was  fifteen  years  old 
the  King  and  Queen  were  away  from  home,  and  the  Princess 
was  left  quite  alone  in  the  castle.  She  wandered  about  over 
the  whole  place,  looking  at  rooms  and  halls  as  she  pleased,  and 
at  last  she  came  to  an  old  tower.  She  ascended  a  narrow, 
winding  staircase  and  reached  a  little  door.  A  rusty  key  was 
sticking  in  the  lock,  and  when  she  turned  it  the  door  flew  open. 
In  a  little  room  sat  an  old  woman  with  a  spindle,  busily  spin 
ning  her  flax. 

"  Good  day,  Granny,"  said  the  Princess ;  "  what  are  you 
doing?" 

"  I  am  spinning,"  said  the  old  woman,  and  nodded  her  head. 
"  What  is  the  thing  that  whirls  round  so  merrily  ?  "  asked 
the  Princess ;  and  she  took  the  spindle  and  tried  to  spin  too. 

But  she  had  scarcely  touched  it  before  the  curse  was  ful 
filled,  and  she  pricked  her  finger  with  the  spindle.  The  in 
stant  she  felt  the  prick  she  fell  upon  the  bed  which  was  stand- 

[368] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

ing  near,  and  lay  still  in  a  deep  sleep  which  spread  over  the 
whole  castle. 

The  King  and  Queen,  who  had  just  come  home  and  had 
stepped  into  the  hall,  went  to  sleep,  and  all  their  courtiers  with 
them.  The  horses  went  to  sleep  in  the  stable,  the  dogs  in  the 
yard,  the  doves  on  the  roof,  the  flies  on  the  wall ;  yes,  even 
the  fire  flickering  on  the  hearth  grew  still  and  went  to  sleep, 
and  the  roast  meat  stopped  crackling ;  and  the  cook,  who  was 
pulling  the  scullion's  hair  because  he  had  made  some  mistake, 
let  him  go  and  went  to  sleep.  And  the  wind  dropped,  and  on 
the  trees  in  front  of  the  castle  not  a  leaf  stirred. 

But  round  the  castle  a  hedge  of  brier  roses  began  to  grow 
up;  every  year  it  grew  higher,  till  at  last  it  surrounded  the 
whole  castle  so  that  nothing  could  be  seen  of  it,  not  even  the 
flags  on  the  roof. 

But  there  was  a  legend  in  the  land  about  the  lovely  sleep 
ing  Brier  Rose,  as  the  King's  daughter  was  called,  and  from 
time  to  time  princes  came  and  tried  to  force  a  way  through 
the  hedge  into  the  castle.  But  they  found  it  impossible,  for 
the  thorns,  as  though  they  had  hands,  held  them  fast,  and  the 
princes  remained  caught  in  them  without  being  able  to  free 
themselves,  and  so  died  a  miserable  death. 

After  many,  many  years  a  prince  came  again  to  the  country 
and  heard  an  old  man  tell  of  the  castle  which  stood  behind 
the  brier  hedge,  in  which  a  most  beautiful  maiden  called  Brier 
Rose  had  been  asleep  for  the  last  hundred  years,  and  with 
her  slept  the  King,  Queen,  and  all  her  courtiers.  He  knew 
also,  from  his  grandfather,  that  many  princes  had  already 
come  and  sought  to  pierce  through  the  brier  hedge,  and  had 
remained  caught  in  it  and  died  a  sad  death. 

Then  the  young  Prince  said :  "  I  am  not  afraid ;  I  am  de 
termined  to  go  and  look  upon  the  lovely  Brier  Rose." 

The  good  old  man  did  all  in  his  power  to  dissuade  him,  but 
the  Prince  would  not  listen  to  his  words. 

Now,  however,  the  hundred  years  were  just  ended,  and  the 
day  had  come  when  Brier  Rose  was  to  wake  up  again.  When 
the  Prince  approached  the  brier  hedge  it  was  in  blossom,  and 

[369] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

was  covered  with  beautiful  large  flowers  which  made  way  for 
him  of  their  own  accord  and  let  him  pass  unharmed,  and  then 
closed  up  again  into  a  hedge  behind  him. 

In  the  courtyard  he  saw  the  horses  and  dappled  hounds 
lying  asleep,  on  the  roof  sat  the  doves  with  their  heads  under 
their  wings,  and  when  he  went  into  the  house  the  flies  were 
asleep  on  the  walls,  and  near  the  throne  lay  the  King  and 
Queen;  in  the  kitchen  was  the  cook,  with  his  hand  raised  as 
though  about  to  strike  the  scullion,  and  the  maid  sat  with  the 
black  fowl  before  her  which  she  was  about  to  pluck. 

He  went  on  farther,  and  all  was  so  still  that  he  could  hear 
his  own  breathing.  At  last  he  reached  the  tower,  and  opened 
the  door  into  the  little  room  where  Brier  Rose  was  asleep. 
There  she  lay,  looking  so  beautiful  that  he  could  not  take  his 
eyes  off  her;  he  bent  down  and  gave  her  a  kiss.  As  he 
touched  her,  Brier  Rose  opened  her  eyes  and  looked  quite 
sweetly  at  him.  Then  they  went  down  together;  and  the 
King  and  the  Queen  and  all  the  courtiers  woke  up,  and  looked 
at  each  other  with  astonished  eyes.  The  horses  in  the  stable 
stood  up  and  shook  themselves,  the  hounds  leaped  about  and 
wagged  their  tails,  the  doves  on  the  roof  lifted  their  heads 
from  under  their  wings,  looked  around,  and  flew  into  the  fields ; 
the  flies  on  the  walls  began  to  crawl  again,  the  fire  in  the 
kitchen  roused  itself  and  blazed  up  and  cooked  the  food,  the 
meat  began  to  crackle,  and  the  cook  boxed  the  scullion's  ears 
so  soundly  that  he  screamed  aloud,  while  the  maid  finished 
plucking  the  fowl.  Then  the  wedding  of  the  Prince  and  Brier 
Rose  was  celebrated  with  all  splendor,  and  they  lived  happily 
till  they  died. 

The    Iron   Stove 

CE  upon  a  time  when  wishes  came  true  there  was  a 
king's  son  who  was  enchanted  by  an  old  witch,  so  that 
he  was  obliged  to  sit  in  a  large  iron  stove  in  a  wood. 
There  he  lived  for  many  years,  and  no  one  could  free  him. 

[370] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

At  last  a  king's  daughter  came  into  the  wood ;  she  had  lost 
her  way  and  could  not  find  her  father's  kingdom  again.  She 
had  been  wandering  round  and  round  for  nine  days,  and  she 
came  at  last  to  the  iron  stove.  A  voice  came  from  within  and 
asked  her :  "  Where  do  you  come  from  and  where  do  you 
want  to  go  ?  "  She  answered :  "  I  have  lost  my  way  to  my 
father's  kingdom,  and  I  shall  never  get  home  again."  Then 
the  voice  from  the  iron  stove  said :  "  I  will  help  you  to  find 
your  home  again,  and  that  in  a  very  short  time,  if  you  will 
promise  to  do  what  I  ask  you.  I  am  a  greater  prince  than 
you  are  a  princess,  and  I  will  marry  you."  Then  she  grew 
frightened  and  thought :  "  What  can  a  young  lassie  do  with 
an  iron  stove?"  But  as  she  wanted  very  much  to  go  home 
to  her  father,  she  promised  to  do  what  he  wished.  He  said: 
"  You  must  come  again,  and  bring  a  knife  with  you  to  scrape 
a  hole  in  the  iron." 

Then  he  gave  her  some  one  for  a  guide,  who  walked  near 
her  and  said  nothing,  but  he  brought  her  in  two  hours  to  her 
house.  There  was  great  joy  in  the  castle  when  the  Princess 
came  back,  and  the  old  King  fell  on  her  neck  and  kissed 
her.  But  she  was  very  much  troubled  and  said :  "  Dear 
father,  listen  to  what  has  befallen  me.  I  should  never  have 
come  home  again  out  of  the  great  wildwood  if  I  had  not 
come  to  an  iron  stove,  and  I  have  had  to  promise  that  I 
will  go  back  to  free  him  and  marry  him ! "  The  old  King 
was  so  frightened  that  he  nearly  fainted,  for  she  was  his  only 
daughter.  So  they  consulted  together  and  determined  that 
the  miller's  daughter,  who  was  very  beautiful,  should  take 
her  place.  They  took  her  there,  gave  her  a  knife,  and  said 
she  must  scrape  at  the  iron  stove.  She  scraped  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  but  did  not  make  the  least  impression.  When  the 
day  broke  a  voice  called  from  the  iron  stove :  "  It  seems  to  me 
that  it  is  day  outside."  Then  she  answered :  "  It  seems  so  to 
me ;  I  think  I  hear  my  father's  mill  rattling." 

"  So  you  are  a  miller's  daughter !  Then  go  away  at  once 
and  tell  the  King's  daughter  to  come." 

Then  she  went  away  and  told  the  old  King  that  the  thing 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

inside  the  iron  stove  would  not  have  her,  but  wanted  the  Prin 
cess.  The  old  King  was  frightened,  and  his  daughter  wept. 
But  they  had  a  swineherd's  daughter  who  was  even  more 
beautiful  than  the  miller's  daughter,  and  they  gave  her  a  piece 
of  gold  to  go  to  the  iron  stove  instead  of  the  Princess.  Then 
she  was  taken  there  and  made  to  scrape  for  twenty-four  hours, 
but  she  could  make  no  impression.  As  soon  as  the  day  broke 
the  voice  from  the  stove  called  out :  "  It  seems  to  be  daylight 
outside."  Then  she  answered :  "  It  seems  so  to  me,  too ;  I 
think  I  hear  my  father  blowing  his  horn."  "  So  you  are  a 
swineherd's  daughter!  Go  away  at  once  and  let  the  King's 
daughter  come.  And  say  to  her  that  what  I  foretell  shall 
come  to  pass,  and  if  she  does  not  come  everything  in  the 
kingdom  shall  fall  into  ruin,  and  not  one  stone  shall  be  left 
upon  another."  When  the  Princess  heard  this  she  began  to 
cry,  but  it  was  no  good ;  she  had  to  keep  her  word.  She  took 
leave  of  her  father,  put  a  knife  in  her  belt,  and  went  to  the 
iron  stove  in  the  wood.  As  soon  as  she  reached  it  she  began 
to  scrape  and  the  iron  gave  way,  and  before  two  hours  had 
passed  she  had  made  a  little  hole.  Then  she  peeped  in  and 
saw  such  a  beautiful  youth  all  shining  with  gold  and  precious 
stones  that  she  fell  in  love  with  him  on  the  spot.  So  she 
scraped  away  harder  than  ever,  and  made  the  hole  so  large 
that  he  could  get  out.  Then  he  said :  "  You  are  mine  and  I 
am  thine ;  you  are  my  bride  and  have  set  me  free !  "  He 
wanted  to  take  her  with  him  to  his  kingdom,  but  she  begged 
him  just  to  let  her  go  once  more  to  her  father;  and  the  Prince 
let  her  go,  but  told  her  not  to  say  more  than  three  words  to 
her  father,  then  to  come  back  again.  So  she  went  home,  but, 
alas !  she  said  more  than  three  words ;  and  immediately  the 
iron  stove  vanished  and  went  away  over  a  mountain  of  glass 
and  sharp  swords.  But  the  Prince  was  free  and  was  no  longer 
shut  up  in  it.  Then  she  said  good-by  to  her  father,  and  took 
a  little  money  with  her  and  went  again  into  the  great  wood 
to  look  for  the  iron  stove;  but  she  could  not  find  it.  She 
sought  it  for  nine  days,  and  then  her  hunger  became  so  great 
that  she  did  not  know  how  she  could  live  any  longer.  And 

[372] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

when  it  was  evening  she  climbed  a  little  tree  and  wished  that 
the  night  would  not  come,  because  she  was  afraid  of  the  wild 
beasts.  When  midnight  came  she  saw  afar  off  a  little  light 
and  thought :  "  Ah,  if  only  I  could  reach  that !  "  Then  she 
got  down  from  the  tree  and  went  toward  the  light.  She  came 
to  a  little  old  house  with  a  great  deal  of  grass  growing  around, 
and  stood  in  front  of  a  little  heap  of  wood.  She  thought, 
"  Alas !  what  am  I  coming  to  ?  "  and  peeped  through  the  win 
dow  ;  but  she  saw  nothing  inside  except  big  and  little  toads 
and  a  table  beautifully  spread  with  roast  meats  and  wine,  and 
all  the  dishes  and  drinking  cups  were  of  silver,  so  she  took 
heart  and  knocked.  Then  a  fat  toad  called  out: 

"  Little  green  toad  with  leg  like  crook, 
Open  wide  the  door,  and  look 
Who  it  was  the  latch  that  shook." 

And  a  little  toad  came  forward  and  let  her  in.  When  she 
entered  they  all  bade  her  welcome  and  made  her  sit  down. 
They  asked  her  how  she  came  there  and  what  she  wanted. 
Then  she  told  everything  that  had  happened  to  her,  and  how, 
because  she  had  exceeded  her  permission  only  to  speak  three 
words,  the  stove  had  disappeared  with  the  Prince;  and  how 
she  had  searched  a  very  long  time,  and  must  wander  over 
mountain  and  valley  till  she  found  him. 
Then  the  old  toad  said : 

"  Little  green  toad  whose  leg  doth  twist, 
Go  to  the  corner  of  which  you  wist, 
And  bring  to  me  the  large  old  kist." 

And  the  little  toad  went  and  brought  out  a  great  chest.  Then 
they  gave  her  food  and  drink  and  led  her  to  a  beautifully 
made  bed  of  silk  and  samite,  on  which  she  lay  down  and  slept 
soundly.  When  the  day  dawned  she  arose,  and  the  old  toad 
gave  her  three  things  out  of  the  huge  chest  to  take  with  her. 
She  would  have  need  of  them,  for  she  had  to  cross  a  high 
glass  mountain,  three  cutting  swords,  and  a  great  lake.  When 
she  had  passed  these  she  would  find  her  lover  again.  So  she 

[373] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

was  given  three  large  needles,  a  plow  wheel,  and  three  nuts, 
which  she  was  to  take  great  care  of.  She  set  out  with  these 
things,  and  when  she  came  to  the  glass  mountain  which  was 
so  slippery,  she  stuck  the  three  needles  behind  her  feet  and 
then  in  front,  and  so  got  over  it,  and  when  she  was  on  the 
other  side  put  them  carefully  away. 

Then  she  reached  the  three  cutting  swords  and  got  on  her 
plow  wheel  and  rolled  over  them.  At  last  she  came  to  a  great 
lake,  and  when  she  had  crossed  that  arrived  at  a  beautiful 
castle.  She  went  in  and  gave  herself  out  as  a  servant,  a  poor 
maid  who  would  gladly  be  engaged.  But  she  knew  that  the 
Prince  whom  she  had  freed  from  the  iron  stove  in  the  great 
wood  was  in  the  castle.  So  she  was  taken  on  as  a  kitchen 
maid  for  very  small  wages.  Now,  the  Prince  was  about  to 
marry  another  princess,  for  he  thought  she  was  dead  long  ago. 

In  the  evening,  when  she  had  washed  up  and  was  ready, 
she  felt  in  her  pocket  and  found  the  three  nuts  which  the  old 
toad  had  given  her.  She  cracked  one  and  was  going  to  eat 
the  kernel,  when  behold!  there  was  a  beautiful  royal  dress 
inside  it.  When  the  bride  heard  of  this  she  came  and  begged 
for  the  dress  and  wanted  to  buy  it,  saying  that  it  was  not  a 
dress  for  a  serving  maid.  Then  she  said  she  would  not  sell  it 
unless  she  was  granted  one  favor — namely,  to  sleep  by  the 
Prince's  door.  The  bride  granted  her  this,  because  the  dress 
was  so  beautiful  and  she  had  so  few  like  it.  When  it  was 
evening  she  said  to  her  bridegroom :  "  That  stupid  maid  wants 
to  sleep  by  your  door." 

"  If  you  are  contented,  I  am,"  he  said.  But  she  gave  him 
a  glass  of  wine  in  which  she  had  poured  a  sleeping  draught. 
Then  they  both  went  to  their  room,  but  he  slept  so  soundly 
that  she  could  not  wake  him.  The  maid  wept  all  night  long 
and  said :  "  I  freed  you  in  the  wildwood  out  of  the  iron  stove. 
I  have  sought  you  and  have  crossed  a  glassy  mountain,  three 
sharp  swords,  and  a  great  lake  before  I  found  you,  and  will 
you  not  hear  me  now  ? "  The  servants  outside  heard  how 
she  cried  the  whole  night,  and  they  told  their  master  in  the 
morning. 

[374] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

When  she  had  washed  up  the  next  evening  she  bit  the  sec 
ond  nut,  and  there  was  a  still  more  beautiful  dress  inside. 
When  the  bride  saw  it  she  wanted  to  buy  it  also.  But  the 
maid  did  not  want  money  and  asked  that  she  should  sleep 
again  by  the  Prince's  door.  The  bride,  however,  gave  him 
a  sleeping  draught,  and  he  slept  so  soundly  that  he  heard 
nothing.  But  the  kitchen  maid  wept  the  whole  night  long 
and  said :  "  I  have  freed  you  in  a  wood  and  from  an  iron 
stove ;  I  sought  you  and  have  crossed  a  glassy  mountain,  three 
sharp  swords,  and  a  great  lake  to  find  you,  and  now  you  will 
not  hear  me ! "  The  servants  outside  heard  how  she  cried 
the  whole  night,  and  in  the  morning  they  told  their  master. 
And  when  she  had  washed  up  on  the  third  night  she  bit  the 
third  nut,  and  there  was  a  still  more  beautiful  dress  inside 
that  was  made  of  pure  gold.  When  the  bride  saw  it  she 
wanted  to  have  it,  but  the  maid  would  only  give  it  her  on 
condition  that  she  should  sleep  for  the  third  time  by  the 
Prince's  door.  But  the  Prince  took  care  not  to  drink  the 
sleeping  draught.  When  she  began  to  weep  and  to  say, 
"  Dearest  sweetheart,  I  freed  you  in  the  horrible  wild  wood 
and  from  an  iron  stove,"  he  jumped  up  and  said:  "Thou  art 
right.  Thou  art  mine  and  I  am  thine."  Though  it  was  still 
night,  he  got  into  a  carriage  with  her,  and  they  took  the 
false  bride's  clothes  away,  so  that  she  could  not  follow  them. 
When  they  came  to  the  great  lake  they  rowed  across,  and 
when  they  reached  the  three  sharp  swords  they  sat  on  the 
plow  wheel,  and  on  the  glassy  mountain  they  stuck  the  three 
needles  in.  So  they  arrived  at  last  at  the  little  old  house,  but 
when  they  stepped  inside  it  turned  into  a  large  castle.  The 
toads  were  all  freed  and  were  beautiful  king's  children  run 
ning  about  for  joy.  There  they  were  married,  and  they  re 
mained  in  the  castle,  which  was  much  larger  than  that  of  the 
Princess's  father.  But  because  the  old  man  did  not  like  being 
left  alone  they  went  and  fetched  him.  So  they  had  two  king 
doms  and  lived  in  great  wealth. 

"  A  mouse  has  run, 
My  storv's  done." 

[375] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 
Rumpel-s  tilts-ken 

the  side  of  a  wood,  in  a  country  a  long  way  off,  ran 
a  fine  stream  of  water,  and  upon  the  stream  there 
stood  a  mill.  The  miller's  house  was  close  by,  and  the 
miller,  you  must  know,  had  a  very  beautiful  daughter.  She 
was,  moreover,  very  shrewd  and  clever;  and  the  miller  was 
so  proud  of  her  that  he  one  day  told  the  King  of  the  land,  who 
used  to  come  and  hunt  in  the  wood,  that  his  daughter  could 
spin  gold  out  of  straw.  Now  this  King  was  very  fond  of 
money,  and  when  he  heard  the  miller's  boast  his  greediness 
was  roused,  and  he  sent  for  the  girl  to  be  brought  before  him. 
Then  he  led  her  to  a  chamber  in  his  palace  where  there  was 
a  great  heap  of  straw,  and  gave  her  a  spinning  wheel,  and 
said :  "  All  this  must  be  spun  into  gold  before  morning,  as  you 
love  your  life."  It  was  in  vain  that  the  poor  maiden  said 
that  it  was  only  a  silly  boast  of  her  father,  for  that  she  could 
do  no  such  thing  as  spin  straw  into  gold.  The  chamber  door 
was  locked,  and  she  was  left  alone. 

She  sat  down  in  one  corner  of  the  room  and  began  to  be 
wail  her  hard  fate,  when  on  a  sudden  the  door  opened  and  a 
droll-looking  little  man  hobbled  in  and  said :  "  Good  morrow  to 
you,  my  good  lass ;  what  are  you  weeping  for  ?  "  "  Alas !  " 
said  she,  "  I  must  spin  this  straw  into  gold,  and  I  know  not 
how."  "What  will  you  give  me,"  said  the  hobgoblin,  "to 
do  it  for  you  ?  "  "  My  necklace,"  replied  the  maiden.  He 
took  her  at  her  word  and  sat  himself  down  to  the  wheel, 
and  whistled  and  sang: 

"  Round  about,  round  about, 

Lo  and  behold! 
Reel  away,  reel  away, 
Straw  into  gold! " 

And  round  about  the  wheel  went  merrily;  the  work  was 
quickly  done,  and  the  straw  was  all  spun  into  gold. 

When  the  King  came  in  and  saw  this  he  was  greatly  aston- 

[376] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

ishecl  and  pleased,  but  his  heart  grew  still  more  greedy  of  gain, 
and  he  shut  up  the  poor  miller's  daughter  again  with  a  fresh 
task.  Then  she  knew  not  what  to  do,  and  sat  down  once  more 
to  weep;  but  the  dwarf  soon  opened  the  door  and  said: 
"  What  will  you  give  me  to  do  your  task  ?  "  "  The  ring  on 
my  finger,"  said  she.  So  her  little  friend  took  the  ring,  and 
began  to  work  at  the  wheel  again,  and  whistled  and  sang, 

"  Round  about,  round  about, 

Lo  and  behold! 
Reel  away,  reel  away, 
Straw  into  gold!  " 

till,  long  before  morning,  all  was  done  again. 

The  King  was  greatly  delighted  to  see  all  this  glittering 
treasure,  but  still  he  had  not  enough,  so  he  took  the  miller's 
daughter  to  a  yet  larger  heap  and  said :  "  All  this  must  be 
spun  to-night ;  and  if  it  is,  you  shall  be  my  Queen."  As  soon 
as  she  was  alone  the  dwarf  came  in  and  said :  "  What  will 
you  give  me  to  spin  gold  for  you  this  third  time?  "  "  I  have 
nothing  left,"  said  she.  "  Then  say  you  will  give  me,"  said  the 
little  man,  "  the  first  little  child  that  you  may  have  when  you  are 
Queen.  '  That  may  never  be,"  thought  the  miller's  daughter, 
and  as  she  knew  no  other  way  to  get  her  task  done  she  said 
she  would  do  what  he  asked.  Round  went  the  wheel  again 
to  the  old  song,  and  the  manikin  once  more  spun  the  heap  into 
gold.  The  King  came  in  the  morning,  and,  finding  all  he 
wanted,  was  forced  to  keep  his  word :  so  he  married  the 
miller's  daughter,  and  she  really  became  Queen. 

At  the  birth  of  her  first  little  child  she  was  very  glad,  and 
forgot  the  dwarf  and  what  she  had  promised.  But  one  day  he 
came  into  her  room,  where  she  was  sitting  playing  with  her 
baby,  and  put  her  in  mind  of  it.  Then  she  grieved  sorely  at 
her  misfortune,  and  said  she  would  give  him  all  the  wealth  of 
the  kingdom  if  he  would  let  her  off,  but  in  vain;  till  at  last 
her  tears  softened  him  and  he  said :  "  I  will  give  you  three 
days'  grace,  and,  if  during  that  time  you  tell  me  my  name,  you 
shall  keep  your  child." 

[3/7] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

Now  the  Queen  lay  awake  all  night,  thinking  of  all  the  odd 
names  that  she  had  ever  heard,  and  she  sent  messengers  all 
over  the  land  to  find  out  new  ones.  The  next  day  the  little 
man  came,  and  she  began  with  TIMOTHY,  ICHABOD,  BEN 
JAMIN,  JEREMIAH,  and  all  the  names  she  could  remember; 
but  to  all  and  each  of  them  he  said :  "  Madam,  that  is  not 
my  name." 

The  second  day  she  began  with  all  the  comical  names  she 
could  hear  of,  BANDY  LEGS,  HUNCHBACK,  CROOK  SHANKS, 
and  so  on;  but  the  little  gentleman  still  said  to  every  one  of 
them :  "  Madam,  that  is  not  my  name." 

The  third  day  one  of  the  messengers  came  back  and  said: 
"  I  traveled  two  days  without  hearing  of  any  other  names ; 
but  yesterday,  as  I  was  climbing  a  high  hill,  among  the  trees 
of  the  forest  where  the  fox  and  the  hare  bid  each  other  good 
night,  I  saw  a  little  hut;  and  before  the  hut  burned  a  fire; 
and  round  about  the  fire  a  funny  little  dwarf  was  dancing 
upon  one  leg,  and  singing : 

"  '  Merrily  the  feast  I'll  make, 

To-day  I'll  brew,  to-morrow  bake; 
Merrily  I'll  dance  and  sing, 
For  next  day  will  a  stranger  bring. 
Little  does  my  lady  dream 
Rumpel-stilts-ken  is  my  name! '  " 

When  the  Queen  heard  this  she  jumped  for  joy,  and  as  soon 
as  her  little  friend  came  she  sat  down  upon  her  throne  and 
called  all  her  court  around  to  enjoy  the  fun;  and  the  nurse 
stood  by  her  side  with  the  baby  in  her  arms,  as  if  it  was  quite 
ready  to  be  given  up.  Then  the  little  man  began  to  chuckle 
at  the  thoughts  of  having  the  poor  child  to  take  home 
with  him  to  his  hut  in  the  woods,  and  he  cried  out :  "  Now, 
lady,  what  is  my  name  ?"  "  Is  it  JOHN?  "  asked  she.  "No, 
madam!"  "Is  it  TOM?"  "No,  madam!"  "Is  it  JEMMY?" 
"  It  is  not."  "  Can  your  name  be  RUMPEL-STILTS-KEN  ?  " 
said  the  lady  slyly.  "  Some  witch  told  you  that ! — some  witch 
told  you  that ! "  cried  the  little  man,  and  dashed  his  right 

[378] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

foot  in  a  rage  so  deep  into  the  floor,  that  he  was  forced  to  lay 
hold  of  it  with  both  hands  to  pull  it  out. 

Then  he  made  the  best  of  his  way  off,  while  the  nurse 
laughed  and  the  baby  crowed ;  and  all  the  court  jeered  at  him 
for  having  had  so  much  trouble  for  nothing,  and  said :  "  We 
wish  you  a  very  good  morning,  and  a  merry  feast,  Mr.  RUM- 
PEL-STILTS-KEN  ! " 


Faithful  John^  the   Kings  Servant 

rHE  old  King  lay  dying  and  was  very  much  worried 
in  his  mind  because  he  was  leaving  behind  him,  as  his 
heir,  his  son,  who  was  a  headstrong  and  willful  youth, 
not  yet  come  to  years  of  wisdom.  He  called  to  his  bedside 
faithful  John,  who  had  been  his  servant  ever  since  he  was  a 
boy,  and  charged  him  thus: 

"  I  am  going  to  my  last  rest,  and  am  sorrowful  because  my 
boy  is  left  alone  in  a  high  position,  and  will  have  no  other 
guidance  but  yours.  Be  his  guardian  and  counselor,  and  serve 
him  faithfully  even  as  you  have  served  me,  or  I  cannot  die 
happily." 

"  Master,  I  will,"  answered  faithful  John,  "  even  if  it  cost 
me  my  life." 

"  Now  I  can  rest  in  peace,"  said  the  King.  "  When  I  am 
dead  you  must  lead  him  all  over  the  castle,  and  show  him  the 
halls  and  chambers  and  the  vaults  and  the  treasures  therein. 
But  one  room  he  must  never  enter,  the  last  room  in  the  long 
corridor,  for  there  hangs  the  portrait  of  the  daughter  of  the 
King  of  the  Golden  Palace,  and  she  is  so  beautiful  that  who 
ever  gazes  on  her  picture  will  fall  down  in  a  swoon  for  love 
of  her,  and  will  go  through  great  perils  for  her  sake.  There 
fore  he  must  never  enter  that  room." 

The  trusty  servant  pressed  his  master's  hand  and  prom 
ised  to  do  his  commands,  and  soon  afterwards  the  King  laid 
his  head  on  the  pillow  and  died. 

[379] 


THE    FAIRT  RING 

After  the  old  King  was  laid  in  his  grave,  the  faithful  John 
told  the  young  King  of  the  commands  his  father  had  laid 
upon  him,  and  swore  to  serve  him  faithfully,  even  unto  death. 

When  the  days  of  mourning  were  over  he  told  the  young 
King  that  it  was  now  time  for  him  to  see  his  inheritance ;  so 
they  went  all  over  the  castle,  up  into  the  towers  and  down  into 
the  vaults,  and  saw  all  the  great  treasure  the  old  King  had 
collected;  and  they  went  into  all  the  grand  halls  and  splendid 
chambers,  into  all  save  one — the  last  room  at  the  end  of  the 
long  corridor,  wherein  hung  the  portrait. 

The  King  noticed  that  they  always  passed  this  door,  and 
asked  John  why. 

"  There  is  something  there  that  it  is  dangerous  to  see,"  said 
John. 

"  But,"  answered  the  King,  "  I  have  seen  everything  else 
that  I  possess,  and  you  must  not  imagine  I  am  going  away 
without  seeing  this." 

Faithful  John  tried  to  argue  him  out  of  it,  but  it  was  of  no 
use,  and  the  obstinate  King  even  made  an  effort  to  force  the 
door  open,  and  declared  that  he  would  not  leave  the  spot  till 
he  had  seen  the  contents  of  the  chamber. 

So  John,  seeing  that  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  yield, 
sorrowfully  took  the  key  from  the  bunch  and  put  it  in  the 
lock.  He  turned  it  suddenly  and  hurried  in,  hoping  to  cover 
over  the  portrait  before  the  King  saw  it ;  but  he  was  close  on 
his  heels,  and  John  was  too  late  to  prevent  the  catastrophe,  for 
no  sooner  had  his  master  set  eyes  on  the  wonderful  painting, 
which  appeared  to  be  living,  breathing  flesh,  than  he  fell  on  the 
floor  in  a  swoon. 

Poor  John  carried  him  tenderly  to  his  bed,  deeply  bewailing 
the  misfortune  that  had  come  upon  them,  and  by  dint  of 
forcing  wine  down  his  throat  he  brought  him  round  again. 
The  first  words  that  he  uttered  were: 

"  Who  is  the  lady  of  the  beautiful  picture?  " 

"  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  the  Golden  Palace," 
replied  John. 

"  Then,"  said  the  King,  "  we  must  seek  her  at  once,  for  I 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

am  filled  with  so  great  a  love  for  her  that  if  all  the  leaves  on 
the  trees  had  tongues  they  should  not  gainsay  it." 

Then  trusty  John  thought  for  a  long,  long  time  as  how  to 
set  about  the  matter,  for  it  was  very  difficult  to  reach  the 
presence  of  the  beautiful  Princess.  At  last  he  thought  of  a 
plan,  and  he  said  to  the  King: 

"  I  have  thought  of  a  way  by  which  you  may  achieve  your 
end;  all  the  things  the  Princess  uses,  and  all  the  things  about 
her,  are  gold — chairs,  tables,  dishes,  pots  and  pans,  all  are 
fashioned  of  gold.  There  are  five  tons  of  gold  bars  in  your 
cellars ;  you  must  have  them  wrought  into  articles  of  every 
kind,  even  into  beasts  and  flowers,  and  then  we  will  set  out  and 
seek  her  favor." 

So  the  King  sent  for  all  the  goldsmiths  in  the  kingdom, 
and  they  worked  day  and  night  till  all  the  gold  was  made 
into  most  wonderful  and  beautiful  forms  of  the  finest  work 
manship.  Then  they  took  them  all  aboard  a  great  ship  and 
set  sail.  They  sailed  for  many  days,  till  they  came  to  the 
city  where  dwelt  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  the  Golden 
Palace. 

The  faithful  John  had  decided  that  it  was  better  for  him  to 
go  ashore,  so  he  told  the  King  to  remain  on  board  and  have 
all  things  in  readiness,  the  treasures  displayed  and  all  in  order, 
lest  he  should  bring  the  Princess  back  with  him.  Then  he 
tied  up  some  of  the  smaller  things  in  a  handkerchief  and  rowed 
ashore. 

When  he  entered  the  courtyard  of  the  palace,  he  saw  a  beau 
tiful  girl  filling  two  golden  pails  at  the  well.  When  they  were 
full  she  turned,  and,  perceiving  the  stranger,  demanded  his 
business.  So  he  untied  the  handkerchief  and  showed  her  the 
dainty  trinkets.  She  was  delighted  with  them,  and  at  once 
said: 

"  The  Princess  must  see  these,  for  she  has  a  passion  for 
golden  things,  and  will,  no  doubt,  buy  them  all."  So  she  took 
him  by  the  hand  and  led  him  to  the  King's  daughter.  The 
Princess  was  even  more  beautiful  than  report  had  made  her, 
and  John  was  dazzled.  The  lady  was  very  gracious  to  him, 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  was  charmed  with  his  treasures,  which  she  wished  to  pur 
chase.  But  John  said : 

"  I  am  only  a  servant.  My  master  is  a  rich  merchant  who 
has  even  more  beautiful  things  than  these  aboard  his  ship." 

"  Let  them  be  brought  hither,"  replied  the  Princess ;  but  he 
said: 

"  That  would  take  many  days  and  nights,  their  number  is 
so  vast,  and  even  if  they  were  all  brought  hither  there  is 
no  room  in  the  palace  large  enough  to  show  them  to  advan 
tage." 

The  Princess's  curiosity  was  very  much  excited  by  this  time, 
and  she  said : 

"  Bring  me  to  the  ship,  and  I  will  see  them  there." 

Faithful  John  was  overjoyed  at  the  success  of  his  plans, 
and  conducted  her  thither  immediately.  When  the  King  saw 
her,  he  was  so  overcome  with  her  beauty  that  he  could  hardly 
help  her  aboard,  but  he  managed  to  control  the  violent  beat 
ings  of  his  heart,  and  led  her  down  into  the  cabin.  John  re 
mained  on  deck,  and  commanded  the  helmsman  to  steer  out  to 
sea,  and  put  on  all  the  sail  he  could,  so  that  they  might  leave 
the  land  far  behind. 

Down  below  the  Princess  was  enjoying  herself  immensely, 
looking  at  all  the  beautiful  and  curious  things,  and  several 
hours  passed  before  she  bethought  her  that  it  was  time  to  go 
ashore.  So  she  went  on  deck  prepared  to  land  immediately, 
and  behold !  no  land  was  to  be  seen,  nothing  but  the  wide  sea 
all  around  her. 

"  Ah !  "  she  screamed,  in  sudden  terror,  "  I  am  entrapped  by 
a  strange  merchant.  I  would  rather  die  than  remain  in  his 
power !  " 

The  King  reassured  her,  and  taking  her  hand  he  said :  "  I 
am  no  merchant,  I  am  a  king  of  royal  blood  like  yourself.  I 
have  carried  you  off  because  my  love  for  you  is  so  great  that  I 
cannot  live  without  you.  You  must  know  that  when  I  saw 
your  portrait,  I  was  so  stricken  with  love  for  you  that  I  fell  in 
a  swoon  before  it." 

When  the  King's  daughter  heard  this  her  fear  disappeared, 

[382] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

and  love  grew  in  its  place  and  she  was  willing  to  be  his 
bride. 

One  day,  when  John  was  sitting  on  deck  piping  sweet 
music,  three  crows  flew  over  the  ship,  talking  hard  all  the 
time.  John  understood  every  word  they  said,  and  this  is  what 
he  heard: 

"  There  he  is,  sailing  home  with  the  daughter  of  the 
King  of  the  Golden  Palace,"  said  the  first.  "  Ah !  they  are 
not  home  yet,"  said  the  second.  "  But  she  is  with  him  in  the 
ship,"  said  the  third.  "What  matters  that?"  began  the  first 
again ;  "  when  they  land  there  will  come  a  beautiful  fox-col 
ored  horse,  and  he  will  spring  upon  it  and  the  horse  will  bound 
away  with  him  up  into  the  air  and  he  will  never  be  seen 
again." 

"  But  is  there  no  way  to  save  him?  "  the  second  one  asked. 

"  Yes,  if  one  springs  up  quickly  behind  him  and  seizes  the 
pistols  which  are  in  the  holsters  and  shoots  the  fox-colored 
horse,  then  the  King  will  be  saved.  But  nobody  knows,  and 
if  one  knew  and  told  him,  he  would  be  turned  into  stone  from 
toe  to  knee." 

Then  the  second  crow  spoke  again : 

"  I  know  still  more,  for  even  if  the  horse  be  shot  he  will  not 
keep  his  lovely  bride.  When  they  arrive  at  the  castle  a  bridal 
shirt  will  be  brought  to  him  on  a  dish,  looking  as  though  it 
were  made  of  silver  and  gold,  but  it  is  only  sulphur  and  pitch, 
and  when  he  puts  it  on  he  will  be  burned  to  the  marrow  of 
his  bones." 

"  Is  there  no  way  to  save  him  ?  "  asked  the  third  crow. 

"  Oh,  yes !  if  one  were  to  take  up  the  shirt  with  his  gloves 
on  and  throw  it  on  the  fire  before  the  King  touches  it,  he  will 
be  saved.  But  what  matter?  for  no  one  knows  that,  and  if 
one  knew  and  were  to  tell,  he  would  be  turned  into  stone  from 
his  knee  to  his  heart." 

Then  the  third  crow  spoke  again : 

"  I  know  even  more.  Even  if  the  shirt  be  burned  the  King 
will  not  keep  his  bride.  After  supper  a  dance  will  be  held, 
and  suddenly,  when  she  is  dancing,  the  Queen  will  turn  pale 

[383] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

and  fall  in  a  faint ;  and  if  some  one  does  not  raise  her  up 
and  take  three  drops  of  blood  from  her  little  finger  and  throw 
them  away,  she  will  die.  But  if  anyone  knows  that  and  tells 
it,  he  will  be  turned  into  stone  from  the  crown  of  his  head 
to  the  toes  of  his  feet." 

Then  the  crows  flew  away,  leaving  John  very  quiet  and 
sad ;  for  if  he  concealed  what  he  knew,  misfortune  would  fall 
upon  his  master,  and  if  he  told,  he  must  lose  his  own  life ;  but 
he  decided  that  whatever  happened  to  himself  he  must  save 
his  master. 

When  they  landed  it  happened  just  as  the  crows  had  said, 
and  a  beautiful  fox-colored  horse  appeared  in  front  of  the 
King.  He  exclaimed  with  pleasure : 

"  Splendid !  this  shall  carry  us  to  the  castle."  And  he 
sprang  into  the  saddle. 

But  John  sprang  up  after  him,  and  finding  the  pistols,  shot 
the  horse  dead.  The  other  servants  who  were  jealous  of 
John,  began  to  grumble  at  this,  and  said: 

"  Shame  to  kill  such  a  lovely  animal,  which  was  fit  to  bear 
the  King!" 

But  the  King  said : 

"  Peace ;  be  silent.  He  is  my  faithful  servant  and  I  trust 
him.  Who  knows  what  he  has  saved  us  from  ?  " 

Then  they  went  on  to  the  castle,  and  in  the  hall  it  happened 
just  as  it  had  been  foretold — a  beautiful  bridal  shirt  was 
brought  to  the  King.  He  was  just  about  to  pick  it  up  and 
put  it  on  when  John  threw  himself  in  front  of  him,  and  seiz 
ing  the  shirt,  carried  it  to  the  fire  and  burned  it. 

Again  the  other  servants  set  up  a  murmur : 

"  What  is  he  about?     See,  he  has  burned  the  bridal  shirt !  " 

But  the  King  silenced  them  and  said : 

"  He  is  my  faithful  John,  and  I  trust  him.  Who  knows 
what  danger  he  has  averted  ?  " 

After  the  wedding  supper  a  grand  ball  was  given,  and  John 
watched  the  Queen  very  carefully  while  she  danced.  Sud 
denly  he  saw  her  turn  pale  and  fall  in  a  faint.  He  hurried 
toward  her,  and  lifting  her  up  he  carried  her  away  to  her 

[384] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

chamber.  Then  he  knelt  down,  and  drawing  three  drops  of 
blood  from  her  little  finger  he  threw  them  away.  Soon  the 
Queen  stirred,  and  then  sat  up,  quite  herself  again.  But  the 
King  had  watched  all  this,  and  this  time  he  was  furiously 
angry  with  faithful  John,  and  ordered  him  to  be  thrown  into 
prison.  Next  day  he  was  brought  to  trial  and  condemned  to 
be  hanged  at  the  gallows.  When  he  was  about  to  be  executed 
he  asked  for  the  usual  privilege  of  a  condemned  prisoner,  to 
speak  once  what  was  in  his  mind.  The  King  granted  it,  and 
faithful  John  began : 

"  I  am  innocent  of  any  crime  against  you,  and  have  always 
served  you  faithfully." 

Then  he  told  what  he  had  heard  the  crows  saying  at  sea; 
and  how  he  had  done  all  these  things  to  save  his  master's 
life. 

Then  the  King  cried :  "  Pardon,  pardon,  my  faithful  friend ; 
you  are  innocent !  " 

But  at  the  last  word  he  had  spoken  John  had  fallen  down, 
turned  into  stone. 

After  this  there  was  great  sorrow  and  lamentation  in  the 
palace,  and  they  had  the  statue  raised  and  taken  to  their  cham 
ber  and  placed  near  the  bed,  and  often  the  King  looked  at  it 
and  said: 

"  Ah !  my  trusty  John,  could  I  but  bring  you  back  to  life 
again !  " 

Some  time  afterwards,  to  their  great  joy,  twins  were  born 
to  them,  two  healthy  boys.  One  day  the  Queen  was  at  church 
and  the  King  was  at  home  playing  with  his  children,  when  he 
looked  up  at  the  statue  and  said : 

"  Ah,  my  poor  faithful  John,  what  would  I  not  do  to  bring 
you  back  to  life !  " 

To  his  surprise  the  statue  answered  him  and  said : 

"  If  you  will  sacrifice  what  is  dearest  to  you,  you  can  re 
store  my  life  to  me." 

"  I  will  do  anything  in  the  world  for  you,  only  tell  me  what," 
answered  the  King. 

Then  the  statue  spoke  again : 

[385] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

"Cut  off  the  heads  of  your  children,  and  sprinkle  me  with 
their  blood,  and  I  will  be  restored  to  life." 

The  poor  King  was  horrified  when  he  heard  this,  for  how 
could  he  do  such  an  awful  deed  as  to  kill  his  own  children? 
But  he  thought  of  all  John  had  done  for  him,  and  how  much 
he  had  sacrificed,  and,  without  flinching,  he  drew  his  sword 
to  cut  off  their  heads. 

But  as  he  was  about  to  kill  the  little  princes,  faithful  John 
became  alive  again,  crying: 

"  Stop,  stop,  my  master !  Your  faith  in  me  is  rewarded,  and 
I  am  free." 

The  King  was  now  as  happy  as  he  could  be,  and  he  thought 
to  give  his  wife  a  pleasant  surprise ;  so  when  he  heard  her  com 
ing  he  hid  faithful  John  and  the  twins  in  a  cupboard.  When 
she  came  in  he  asked  her  if  she  had  prayed  for  all  her  friends. 

"Yes,"  she  answered;  "but  I  have  been  thinking  of  poor 
John,  who  is  past  our  prayers." 

Then  the  King  said : 

"  We  can  restore  him  to  life  again,  but  we  must  sacrifice 
both  our  sons." 

The  Queen  turned  very  pale  at  this  and  nearly  fainted; 
but  she  thought  of  how  it  was  their  fault  that  John  had  suf 
fered,  and  she  said  bravely  that  if  it  was  to  restore  him  to  life 
it  must  be  done. 

The  King  was  overjoyed  to  find  that  she  thought  as  he 
did,  and  he  threw  open  the  cupboard  door  and  disclosed,  not 
only  the  twins,  but  faithful  John  also.  Then  they  all  rejoiced 
and  were  happy  together  to  the  end  of  their  days. 

Spindle,   Shuttle,  and  Needle 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  girl  who  lost  her  father 
and  mother  when  she  was  quite  a  tiny  child.  Her  god- 
mother  lived  all  alone  in  a  little  cottage  at  the  far  end 
of  the  village,  and  there  she  earned  her  living  by  spinning, 
Vreaving,  and  sewing.  The  old  woman  took  the  little  orphan 

[386] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

home  with  her  and  brought  her  up  in  good,  pious,  industrious 
habits. 

When  the  girl  was  fifteen  years  old  her  godmother  fell 
ill,  and  calling  the  child  to  her  bedside  she  said :  "  My  dear 
daughter,  I  feel  that  my  end  is  near.  I  leave  you  my  cot 
tage,  which  will,  at  least,  shelter  you,  and  also  my  spindle, 
my  weaver's  shuttle,  and  my  needle,  with  which  to  earn  your 
bread." 

Then  she  laid  her  hands  on  the  girl's  head,  blessed  her,  and 
added :  "  Mind  and  be  good,  and  then  all  will  go  well  with 
you."  With  that  she  closed  her  eyes  for  the  last  time,  and 
when  she  was  carried  to  her  grave  the  girl  walked  behind 
her  coffin  weeping  bitterly  and  paid  her  all  the  last  honors. 

After  this  the  girl  lived  all  alone  in  the  little  cottage.  She 
worked  hard,  spinning,  weaving,  and  sewing,  and  her  old 
godmother's  blessing  seemed  to  prosper  all  she  did.  The  flax 
seemed  to  spread  and  increase;  and  when  she  wove  a  carpet 
or  a  piece  of  linen,  or  made  a  shirt,  she  was  sure  to  find  a 
customer  who  paid  her  well,  so  that  not  only  did  she  feel 
no  want  herself,  but  she  was  able  to  help  those  who  did. 

Now,  it  happened  that  about  this  time  the  King's  son  was 
making  a  tour  through  the  entire  country  to  look  out  for 
a  bride.  He  could  not  marry  a  poor  woman  and  he  did  not 
wish  for  a  rich  one. 

"  She  shall  be  my  wife,"  said  he,  "  who  is  at  once  the  poorest 
and  the  richest." 

When  he  reached  the  village  where  the  girl  lived  he  in 
quired  who  was  the  richest  and  who  the  poorest  woman  in 
it.  The  richest  was  named  first ;  the  poorest,  he  was  told,  was 
a  young  girl  who  lived  alone  in  a  little  cottage  at  the  far 
end  of  the  village. 

The  rich  girl  sat  at  her  door  dressed  in  all  her  best  clothes, 
and  when  the  King's  son  came  near  she  got  up,  went  to  meet 
him,  and  made  him  a  low  courtesy.  He  looked  well  at  her, 
said  nothing,  but  rode  on  farther. 

When  he  reached  the  poor  girl's  house  he  did  not  find  her 
at  her  door,  for  she  was  at  work  in  her  room.  The  Prince 

[387] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

reined  in  his  horse,  looked  in  at  the  window  through  which 
the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  and  saw  the  girl  sitting  at  her 
wheel  busily  spinning  away. 

She  looked  up,  and  when  she  saw  the  King's  son  gazing  in 
at  her  she  blushed  red  all  over,  cast  down  her  eyes,  and  spun 
on.  Whether  the  thread  was  quite  as  even  as  usual  I  really 
cannot  say,  but  she  went  on  spinning  till  the  King's  son  had 
ridden  off.  Then  she  stepped  to  the  window  and  opened  the 
lattice,  saying,  "  The  room  is  so  hot,"  but  she  looked  after  him 
as  long  as  she  could  see  the  white  plumes  of  his  hat. 

Then  she  sat  down  to  her  work  once  more  and  spun  on,  and 
as  she  did  so  an  old  saying,  which  she  had  often  heard  her 
godmother  repeat  while  at  work,  came  into  her  head,  and  she 
began  to  sing : 

"  Spindle,  spindle,  go  and  see 
If  my  love  will  come  to  me." 

Lo  and  behold !  the  spindle  leaped  from  her  hand  and  rushed 
out  of  the  room,  and  when  she  had  sufficiently  recovered 
from  her  surprise  to  look  after  it  she  saw  it  dancing  merrily 
through  the  fields,  dragging  a  long  golden  thread  after  it,  and 
soon  it  was  lost  to  sight. 

The  girl,  having  lost  her  spindle,  took  up  the  shuttle  and, 
seating  herself  at  her  loom,  began  to  weave.  Meantime  the 
spindle  danced  on  and  on,  and  just  as  it  had  come  to  the  end 
of  the  golden  thread  it  reached  the  King's  son. 

"  What  do  I  see  ?  "  he  cried.  "  This  spindle  seems  to  wish 
to  point  out  the  way  to  me."  So  he  turned  his  horse's  head 
and  rode  back  beside  the  golden  thread. 

Meantime  the  girl  sat  weaving  and  sang : 

"  Shuttle,  weave  both  web  and  woof; 
Bring  my  love  beneath  my  roof." 

The  shuttle  instantly  escaped  from  her  hand  and  with  one 
bound  was  out  at  the  door.  On  the  threshold  it  began  weav 
ing  the  loveliest  carpet  that  was  ever  seen.  Roses  and  lilies 

[388] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

bloomed  on  both  sides,  and  in  the  center  a  thicket  seemed  to 
grow  with  rabbits  and  hares  running  through  it,  stags  and 
fawns  peeping  through  the  branches,  while  on  the  topmost 
boughs  sat  birds  of  brilliant  plumage  and  so  lifelike  one 
almost  expected  to  hear  them  sing.  The  shuttle  flew  from  side 
to  side  and  the  carpet  seemed  almost  to  grow  of  itself. 

As  the  shuttle  had  run  away  the  girl  sat  down,to  sew.  She 
took  her  needle  and  sang : 

"  Needle,  needle,  stitch  away; 
Make  my  chamber  bright  and  gay." 

And  the  needle  promptly  slipped  from  her  fingers  and  flew 
about  the  room  like  lightning.  You  would  have  thought  in 
visible  spirits  were  at  work,  for  in  next  to  no  time  the  table 
and  benches  were  covered  with  green  cloth,  the  chairs  with 
velvet,  and  elegant  silk  curtains  hung  before  the  windows. 
The  needle  had  barely  put  in  its  last  stitch  when  the  girl, 
glancing  at  the  window,  spied  the  white-plumed  hat  of  the 
King's  son,  who  was  being  led  back  by  the  spindle  with  the 
golden  thread. 

He  dismounted  and  walked  over  the  carpet  into  the  house, 
and  when  he  entered  the  room  there  stood  the  girl  blushing 
like  any  rose.  "You  are  the  poorest  and  yet  the  richest," 
said  he.  "  Come  with  me — you  shall  be  my  bride." 

She  said  nothing  but  she  held  out  her  hand.  Then  he  kissed 
her  and  led  her  out,  lifted  her  on  his  horse,  and  took  her  to 
his  royal  palace,  where  the  wedding  was  celebrated  with  great 
rejoicings. 

The  spindle,  the  shuttle,  and  the  needle  were  carefully  placed 
in  the  treasury  and  were  always  held  in  the  very  highest 
honor. 


[3891 


THE    FAIRY   RING 
The   Magic  Egg 

^^••^HERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  lark  who  was  the 

f       Czar  among  the  birds,  and  he  took  unto  himself  as  his 

JL         Czaritsa  a  little  shrew  mouse.    They  had  a  field  all  to 

themselves,  which  they  sowed  with  wheat,  and  when  the  wheat 

grew  up  they  divided  it  between  them.    When  they  found  that 

there  was  one  grain  over,  the  mouse  said: 

"Let  me  have  it!" 

But  the  lark  said : 

"  No,  let  me  have  it !  " 

"  What's  to  be  done  ?  "  thought  they. 

They  would  have  liked  to  take  counsel  of  some  one ;  but  they 
had  no  parents  or  kinsmen — nobody  at  all  to  whom  they  could 
go  and  ask  advice  in  the  matter.  At  last  the  mouse  said : 

"  At  any  rate,  let  me  have  the  first  nibble !  " 

The  lark  Czar  agreed  to  this ;  but  the  little  mouse  fastened 
her  teeth  in  it,  and  ran  off  into  her  hole  with  it,  and  there  ate 
it  all  up.  At  this  the  lark  Czar  was  wroth,  and  collected  all 
the  birds  of  the  air  to  make  war  upon  the  mouse  Czaritsa;  but 
the  Czaritsa  called  together  all  the  beasts  to  defend  her,  and 
so  the  war  began.  Whenever  the  beasts  came  rushing  out 
of  the  wood  to  tear  the  birds  to  pieces,  the  birds  flew  up  into 
the  trees ;  but  the  birds  kept  in  the  air,  and  hacked  and  pecked 
the  beasts  wherever  they  could.  Thus  they  fought  the  whole 
day,  and  in  the  evening  they  lay  down  to  rest.  Now  when  the 
Czaritsa  looked  around  upon  her  forces  she  saw  that  the  ant 
was  taking  no  part  in  the  war.  She  immediately  went  and 
commanded  the  ant  to  be  there  by  evening,  and  when  the  ant 
came  the  Czaritsa  ordered  her  to  climb  up  the  trees  with  her 
kinsmen,  and  bite  off  the  feathers  around  the  birds'  wings. 

Next  day,  when  there  was  light  enough  to  see  by,  the 
mouse  Czaritsa  cried: 

"  Up,  up,  my  warriors !  " 

Thereupon  the  birds  also  rose  up,  and  immediately  fell  to 
the  ground,  where  the  beasts  tore  them  to  bits.  So  the  Czar- 

[390] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

itsa  overcame  the  Czar.  But  there  was  one  eagle  who  saw 
there  was  something  wrong,  so  he  did  not  try  to  fly,  but  re 
mained  sitting  on  the  tree.  And  lo!  there  came  an  archer 
along  that  way,  and  seeing  the  eagle  on  the  tree,  he  took  aim 
at  it;  but  the  eagle  besought  him  and  said: 

"  Do  not  kill  me,  and  I'll  be  of  great  service  to  thee!  " 

The  archer  aimed  a  second  time,  but  the  eagle  besought  him 
still  more  and  said : 

"  Take  me  down  rather  and  keep  me,  and  thou  shalt  see  that 
it  will  be  to  thy  advantage." 

The  archer,  however,  took  aim  a  third  time,  but  the  eagle 
began  to  beg  of  him  most  piteously : 

"  Nay,  kill  me  not,  but  take  me  home  with  thee,  and  thou 
shalt  see  what  great  advantage  it  will  be  to  thee !  " 

The  archer  believed  the  bird.  He  climbed  up  the  tree,  took 
the  eagle  down,  and  carried  it  home.  Then  the  eagle  said  to 
him: 

"  Put  me  in  a  hut,  and  feed  me  with  flesh  till  my  wings  have 
grown  again." 

Now  this  archer  had  two  cows  and  a  steer,  and  he  at  once 
killed  and  cut  up  one  of  the  cows  for  the  eagle.  The  eagle 
fed  upon  this  cow  for  a  full  year,  and  then  he  said  to  the 
archer : 

"  Let  me  go,  that  I  may  fly.  I  see  that  my  wings  have 
already  grown  again !  " 

Then  the  archer  let  him  loose  from  the  hut.  The  eagle  flew 
around  and  around,  he  flew  about  for  half  a  day,  and  then  he 
returned  to  the  archer  and  said: 

"  I  feel  I  have  but  little  strength  in  me,  slay  me  another 
cow !  " 

And  the  archer  obeyed  him,  and  slew  the  second  cow,  and 
the  eagle  lived  upon  that  for  yet  another  year.  Again  the 
eagle  flew  around  and  around  in  the  air.  He  flew  around  and 
about  the  whole  day  till  evening,  when  he  returned  to  the 
archer  and  said : 

"  I  am  stronger  than  I  was,  but  I  have  still  but  little  strength 
in  me,  slay  me  the  steer  also !  " 

[391] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

Then  the  man  thought  to  himself: 

"  What  shall  I  do?     Shall  I  slay  it,  or  shall  I  not  slay  it?  " 

At  last  he  said : 

"  Well !  I've  sacrificed  more  than  this  before,  so  let  this 
go  too !  "  and  he  took  the  steer  and  slaughtered  it  for  the 
eagle. 

Then  the  eagle  lived  upon  this  for  another  whole  year 
longer,  and  after  that  he  took  to  flight,  and  flew  high  up  right 
to  the  very  clouds.  Then  he  flew  down  again  to  the  man  and 
said  to  him : 

"  I  thank  thee,  brother,  for  that  thou  hast  been  the  saving 
of  me !  come  now  and  sit  upon  me ! " 

"  Nay,  but,"  said  the  man,  "  what  if  some  evil  befall  me?  " 

"  Sit  on  me,  I  say !  "  cried  the  eagle. 

So  the  archer  sat  down  upon  the  bird. 

Then  the  eagle  bore  him  nearly  as  high  as  the  big  clouds, 
and  then  let  him  fall.  Down  plumped  the  man;  but  the  eagle 
did  not  let  him  fall  to  the  earth,  but  swiftly  flew  beneath  him 
and  upheld  him,  and  said  to  him: 

"How  dost  thou  feel  now?" 

"  I  feel,"  said  the  man,  "  as  if  I  had  no  life  in  me." 

Then  the  eagle  replied: 

"  That  was  just  how  I  felt  when  thou  didst  aim  at  me  the 
first  time." 

Then  he  said  to  him : 

"  Sit  on  my  back  again !  " 

The  man  did  not  want  to  sit  on  him,  but  what  could  he  do? 
Sit  he  must.  Then  the  eagle  flew  with  him  quite  as  high 
as  the  big  clouds,  and  shook  him  off,  and  down  he  fell  head 
long  till  he  was  about  two  fathoms  from  the  ground,  when  the 
bird  again  flew  beneath  him  and  held  him  up.  Again  the 
eagle  asked  him : 

"How  dost  thou  feel?" 

And  the  man  replied : 

"  I  feel  just  as  if  all  my  bones  were  already  broken  to 
bits !  " 

"  That  is  just  how  I  felt  when  thou  didst  take  aim  at  me 

[392] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

the  second  time,"  replied  the  eagle.     "  But  now  sit  on  my  back 
once  more." 

The  man  did  so,  and  the  eagle  flew  with  him  as  high  as  the 
small  fleecy  clouds,  and  then  he  shook  him  off,  and  down  he 
fell  headlong ;  but  when  he  was  but  a  hand's  breadth  from  the 
earth,  the  eagle  again  flew  beneath  him  and  held  him  up,  and 
said  to  him : 

"  How  dost  thou  feel  now?  " 

And  he  replied : 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  no  longer  belonged  to  this  world !  " 

"  That  is  just  how  I  felt  when  thou  didst  aim  at  me  the 
third  time,"  replied  the  eagle.  "  But  now,"  continued  the 
bird,  "thou  art  guilty  no  more.  We  are  quits.  I  owe  thee 
naught,  and  thou  owest  naught  to  me ;  so  sit  on  my  back  again, 
and  I'll  take  thee  to  my  master." 

They  flew  on  and  on,  they  flew  till  they  came  to  the  eagle's 
uncle.  And  the  eagle  said  to  the  archer: 

"  Go  to  my  house,  and  when  they  ask  thee :  '  Hast  thou  not 
seen  our  poor  child  ? '  reply,  *  Give  me  the  magic  egg,  and  I'll 
bring  him  before  your  eyes ! ' : 

So  he  went  to  the  house,  and  there  they  said  to  him : 

"  Hast  thou  heard  of  our  poor  child  with  thine  ears,  or  seen 
him  with  thine  eyes,  and  hast  thou  come  hither  willingly  or 
unwillingly  ?  " 

And  he  answered: 

"  I  have  come  hither  willingly !  " 

Then  they  asked : 

"  Hast  thou  smelt  out  anything  of  our  poor  youngster?  for 
it  is  three  years  now  since  he  went  to  the  wars,  and  there's 
neither  sight  nor  sound  of  him  more !  " 

And  he  answered: 

"  Give  me  the  magic  egg,  and  I'll  bring  him  straightway 
before  your  eyes !  " 

Then  they  replied : 

"  Twere  better  we  never  saw  him  than  that  we  should  give 
thee  the  magic  egg !  " 

Then  he  went  back  to  the  eagle  and  said  to  him : 

[393] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

11  They  said :  '  'Twere  better  we  never  saw  him  than  that  we 
should  give  thee  the  magic  egg.' '' 

Then  the  eagle  answered : 

"  Let  us  fly  on  farther !  " 

They  flew  on  and  on  till  they  came  to  the  eagle's  brother, 
and  the  archer  said  just  the  same  to  him  as  he  had  said  to 
the  eagle's  uncle,  and  still  he  didn't  get  the  egg.  Then  they 
flew  to  the  eagle's  father,  and  the  eagle  said  to  him : 

"  Go  up  to  the  hut,  and  if  they  ask  for  me,  say  that  thou 
hast  seen  me  and  will  bring  me  before  their  eyes." 

So  he  went  up  to  the  hut,  and  they  said  to  him: 

"  O  Czarevich,  we  hear  thee  with  our  ears  and  see  thee 
with  our  eyes,  but  hast  thou  come  hither  of  thine  own  free  will 
or  by  the  will  of  another  ?  " 

And  the  archer  answered : 

"  I  have  come  hither  of  my  own  free  will !  " 

Then  they  asked  him : 

"  Hast  thou  seen  our  son  ?  Lo,  these  four  years  we  have 
not  had  news  of  him.  He  went  off  to  the  wars,  and  per 
chance  he  has  been  slain  there." 

And  he  answered  them: 

"  I  have  seen  him,  and  if  thou  wilt  give  me  the  magic  egg, 
I  will  bring  him  before  your  eyes." 

And  the  eagle's  father  said  to  him: 

"  What  good  will  such  a  thing  do  thee  ?  We  had  better  give 
thee  the  lucky  penny !  " 

But  he  answered : 

"  I  don't  want  the  lucky  penny,  give  me  the  magic  egg !  " 

"  Come  hither,  then !  "  said  he,  "  and  thou  shalt  have  it." 

So  he  went  into  the  hut.  Then  the  eagle's  father  rejoiced 
and  gave  him  the  egg,  and  said  to  him : 

"  Take  heed  thou  dost  not  break  it  anywhere  on  the  road, 
and  when  thou  gettest  home,  hedge  it  around  and  build  a 
strong  fence  about  it,  and  it  will  do  thee  good." 

So  he  went  homeward.  He  went  on  and  on  till  a  great 
thirst  came  upon  him.  So  he  stopped  at  the  first  spring  he 
came  to,  and  as  he  stooped  to  drink  he  stumbled  and  the  magic 

[394] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

egg  was  broken.  Then  he  perceived  that  an  ox  had  come 
out  of  the  egg  and  was  rolling  away.  He  gave  chase  to  the 
ox,  but  whenever  he  was  getting  close  to  one  side  of  it,  the 
other  side  of  it  got  farther  away  from  him.  Then  the  poor 
fellow  cried : 

"  I  shall  do  nothing  with  it  myself,  I  see." 

At  that  moment  an  old  she  dragon  came  up  to  him  and  said : 

"  What  wilt  thou  give  me,  O  man,  if  I  chase  this  ox  back 
again  into  the  egg  for  thee  ?  " 

And  the  archer  replied : 

"What  can  I  give?" 

The  dragon  said  to  him : 

"  Give  me  what  thou  hast  at  home  without  thy  will  and 
wit!" 

"  Done !  "  said  the  archer. 

Then  the  dragon  chased  the  ox  nicely  into  the  egg  again, 
patched  it  up  prettily,  and  gave  it  into  the  man's  hand.  Then 
the  archer  went  home,  and  when  he  got  home  he  found  a  son 
had  been  born  to  him  there,  and  his  son  said  to  him: 

"  Why  didst  thou  give  me  to  the  old  she  dragon,  dad  ?  But 
never  mind,  I'll  manage  to  live  in  spite  of  her." 

Then  the  father  was  very  grieved  for  a  time,  but  what  could 
he  do?  Now  the  name  of  this  son  was  Ivan. 

So  Ivan  lost  no  time  in  going  to  the  dragon,  and  the  dragon 
said  to  him: 

"  Go  to  my  house  and  do  me  three  tasks,  and  if  thou  dost 
them  not,  I'll  devour  thee." 

Now  around  the  dragon's  house  was  a  large  meadow 
stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  And  the  dragon  said 
to  him: 

"  Thou  must  in  a  single  night  weed  out  this  field  and  sow 
wheat  in  it,  and  reap  the  wheat  and  store  it,  all  in  this  very 
night;  and  thou  must  bake  me  a  roll  out  of  this  selfsame 
wheat,  and  the  roll  must  be  lying  ready  for  me  on  my  table 
in  the  morning." 

Then  Ivan  went  and  leaned  over  the  fence,  and  his  heart 
within  him  was  sore  troubled.  Now  near  to  him  there  was  a 

[395] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

post,  and  on  this  post  was  the  dragon's  starveling  daughter. 
So  when  he  came  thither  and  fell  a- weeping,  she  asked  him: 

"  Wherefore  dost  thou  weep?  " 

And  he  said:  "  How  can  I  help  weeping?  The  dragon  has 
bidden  me  do  something  I  can  never,  never  do;  and  what  is 
more,  she  has  bidden  me  do  it  in  a  single  night." 

"  What  is  it,  pray  ?  "  asked  the  dragon's  daughter.  Then 
he  told  her. 

"  Not  every  bush  bears  a  berry !  "  cried  she.  "  Promise  to 
take  me  to  wife,  and  I'll  do  all  she  has  bidden  thee  do." 

He  promised,  and  then  she  said  to  him  again: 

"  Now  go  and  lie  down,  but  see  that  thou  art  up  early  in 
the  morning  to  bring  her  her  roll." 

Then  she  went  to  the  field,  and  before  one  could  whistle  she 
had  cleaned  it  of  weeds  and  harrowed  it  and  sown  it  with 
wheat,  and  by  dawn  she  had  reaped  the  wheat  and  cooked  the 
roll  and  brought  it  to  him,  and  said: 

"  Now,  take  it  to  her  hut  and  put  it  on  her  table." 

Then  the  old  she  dragon  awoke  and  came  to  the  door,  and 
was  amazed  at  the  sight  of  the  field,  which  was  now  all  stubble, 
for  the  corn  had  been  cut.  Then  she  said  to  Ivan : 

"  Yes,  thou  hast  done  the  work  well.  But  now,  see  that 
thou  doest  my  second  task." 

Then  she  gave  him  her  second  command : 

"  Dig  up  that  mountain  yonder  and  let  the  Dnieper  flow 
past  the  site  of  it,  and  there  build  a  storehouse,  and  in  the 
storehouse  stack  the  wheat  that  thou  hast  reaped,  and  sell  this 
wheat  to  the  merchant  barques  that  sail  by,  and  everything 
must  be  done  by  the  time  I  get  up  early  next  morning! " 

Then  he  again  went  to  the  fence  and  wept,  and  the  maiden 
said  to  him: 

"  Why  dost  thou  weep  ?  "  and  he  told  her  all  that  the  she 
dragon  had  bidden  him  do. 

"  There  are  lots  of  bushes,  but  where  are  the  berries  ?  Go 
and  lie  down,  and  I'll  do  it  all  for  thee." 

Then  she  whistled,  and  the  mountain  was  leveled  and  the 
Dnieper  flowed  over  the  site  of  it,  and  round  about  the 

[396] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Dnieper,  storehouses  rose  up,  and  then  she  came  and  woke 
him  that  he  might  go  and  sell  the  wheat  to  the  merchant 
barques  that  sailed  by  that  way,  and  when  the  she  dragon  rose 
up  early  in  the  morning  she  was  amazed  to  see  that  everything 
had  been  done  which  she  had  commanded  him. 

Then  she  gave  him  her  third  command : 

"  This  night  thou  must  catch  the  golden  hare,  and  bring  it 
to  me  by  the  morning  light." 

Again  he  went  to  the  fence  and  fell  a-weeping.  And  the 
girl  asked  him: 

"  Why  art  thou  weeping?  " 

He  said  to  her :  "  She  has  ordered  me  to  catch  her  the 
golden  hare." 

"  Oh,  oh !  "  cried  the  she  dragon's  daughter,  "  the  berries 
are  ripening  now ;  only  her  father  knows  how  to  catch  such  a 
hare  as  that.  Nevertheless,  I'll  go  to  a  rocky  place  I  know 
of,  and  there  perchance  we  shall  be  able  to  catch  it." 

So  they  went  to  this  rocky  place  together,  and  she  said  to 
him: 

"  Stand  over  that  hole.  I'll  go  in  and  chase  him  out  of  the 
hole,  and  thou  catch  him  as  he  comes  out;  but  mind,  what 
ever  comes  out  of  the  hole,  seize  it,  for  it  will  be  the  golden 
hare." 

So  she  went  and  began  beating  up,  and  all  at  once  out  came 
a  snake  and  hissed,  and  he  let  it  go.  Then  she  came  out  of 
the  hole  and  said  to  him : 

"  What !  has  nothing  come  out  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  only  a  snake,  and  I  was  afraid  it  would 
bite  me,  so  I  let  it  go." 

"  What  hast  thou  done?  "  said  she ;  "  that  was  the  very  hare 
itself.  Look  now !  "  said  she,  "  I'll  go  in  again,  and  if  anyone 
comes  out  and  tells  you  that  the  golden  hare  is  not  here,  don't 
believe  it,  but  hold  him  fast." 

So  she  crept  into  the  hole  again  and  began  to  beat  for 
game,  and  out  came  an  old  woman,  who  said  to  the  youth : 

"  What  art  thou  poking  about  there  for  ?  " 

And  he  said  to  her :  "  For  the  golden  hare." 

[397] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

She  said  to  him :  "  It  is  not  here,  for  this  is  a  snake's  hole," 
and  when  she  had  said  this  she  went  away.  Presently  the  girl 
also  came  out  and  said  to  him : 

"  What !  hast  thou  not  got  the  hare  ?  Did  nothing  come 
out,  then  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  nothing  but  an  old  woman  who  asked  me 
what  I  was  seeking,  and  I  told  her  the  golden  hare,  and  she 
said,  '  It  is  not  here/  so  I  let  her  go." 

Then  the  girl  replied :  "  Why  didst  thou  not  lay  hold  of 
her?  for  she  was  the  very  golden  hare  itself,  and  now  thou 
never  wilt  catch  it  unless  I  turn  myself  into  a  hare  and  thou 
take  and  lay  me  on  the  table,  and  give  me  into  my  mother's, 
the  she  dragon's  hands,  and  go  away,  for  if  she  find  out  all 
about  it  she  will  tear  the  pair  of  us  to  pieces." 

So  she  changed  herself  into  a  hare,  and  he  took  and  laid 
her  on  the  table,  and  said  to  the  she  dragon: 

"  There's  thy  hare  for  thee,  and  now  let  me  go  away ! " 

She  said  to  him :  "  Very  well— be  off !  " 

Then  he  set  off  running,  and  he  ran  and  ran  as  hard  as  he 
could.  Soon  after  the  old  she  dragon  discovered  that  it  was 
not  the  golden  hare,  but  her  own  daughter,  so  she  set  about 
chasing  after  them  and  destroying  them  both,  for  the  daugh 
ter  had  made  haste  in  the  meantime  to  join  Ivan.  But  as  the 
she  dragon  couldn't  run  herself,  she  sent  her  husband,  and  he 
began  chasing  them  and  they  knew  he  was  coming,  for  they 
felt  the  earth  trembling  beneath  his  tread.  Then  the  she 
dragon's  daughter  said  to  Ivan : 

"  I  hear  him  running  after  us.  I'll  turn  myself  into  stand 
ing  wheat  and  thee  into  an  old  man  guarding  me,  and  if  he 
ask  thee,  '  Hast  thou  seen  a  lad  and  a  lass  pass  by  this  way  ? ' 
say  to  him :  '  Yes,  they  passed  by  this  way  while  I  was  sowing 
this  wheat!'1 

A  little  while  afterwards  the  she  dragon's  husband  came 
flying  up. 

"  Have  a  lad  and  a  lass  passed  by  this  way  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  old  man,  "  they  have." 

"  Was  it  long  ago  ?  "  asked  the  she  dragon's  husband. 

[398] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

"  It  was  while  this  wheat  was  being  sown,"  replied  the  old 
man. 

"  Oh !  "  thought  the  serpent,  "  this  wheat  is  ready  for  the 
sickle ;  they  couldn't  have  been  this  way  yesterday." 

So  he  turned  back.  Then  the  she  dragon's  daughter  turned 
herself  back  into  a  maiden  and  the  old  man  into  a  youth,  and 
off  they  set  again.  But  the  dragon  returned  home,  and  the 
she  dragon  asked  him: 

"  What !  hast  thou  not  caught  them  or  met  them  on  the 
road?" 

"  Met  them,  no ! "  said  he.  "  I  did,  indeed,  pass  on  the 
road  some  standing  wheat  and  an  old  man  watching  it,  and 
I  asked  the  old  man  if  he  had  seen  a  lad  and  a  lass  pass  by  that 
way,  and  he  said,  '  Yes,  while  this  wheat  was  being  sown ' ; 
but  the  wheat  was  quite  ripe  for  the  sickle,  so  I  knew  it  was 
a  long  while  ago  and  turned  back." 

"  Why  didst  thou  not  tear  that  old  man  and  the  wheat  to 
pieces  ?  "  cried  the  she  dragon ;  "  it  was  they !  Be  off  after 
them  again,  and  mind,  this  time  tear  them  to  pieces  without 
fail." 

So  the  dragon  set  off  after  them  again,  and  they  heard  him 
coming  from  afar,  for  the  earth  trembled  beneath  him.  So  the 
damsel  said  to  Ivan : 

"He's  coming  again;  I  hear  him;  now  I'll  change  myself 
into  a  monastery,  so  old  that  it  will  be  almost  falling  to 
pieces,  and  I'll  change  thee  into  an  old  black  monk  at  the  gate, 
and  when  he  comes  up  and  asks,  '  Hast  thou  seen  a  lad  and 
a  lass  pass  this  way  ? '  say  to  him :  '  Yes,  they  passed  by  this 
way  when  this  monastery  was  being  built.' ' 

Soon  afterwards  the  dragon  came  flying  past,  and  asked  the 
monk :  "  Hast  thou  seen  a  lad  and  a  lass  pass  by  this  way  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  I  saw  them  what  time  the  holy  fathers 
began  to  build  this  monastery." 

The  dragon  thought  to  himself :  "  That  was  not  yesterday ! 
This  monastery  has  stood  a  hundred  years  if  it  has  stood  a 
day,  and  won't  stand  much  longer  either  " ;  and  with  that  he 
turned  him  back.  When  he  got  home  he  said  to  the  she 

[399] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

dragon,  his  wife :  "  I  met  a  black  monk  who  serves  in  a  mon 
astery  and  I  asked  him  about  them,  and  he  told  me  that  a 
lad  and  a  lass  had  run  past  that  way  when  the  monastery  was 
being  built,  but  that  was  not  yesterday,  for  the  monastery  is 
a  hundred  years  old  at  the  very  least." 

"  Why  didst  thou  not  tear  the  black  monk  to  pieces  and 
pull  down  the  monastery?  for  'twas  they.  But  I  see  I  must 
go  after  them  myself ;  thou  art  no  good  at  all." 

So  off  she  set  and  ran  and  ran,  and  they  knew  she  was 
coming,  for  the  earth  quaked  and  yawned  beneath  her.  Then 
the  damsel  said  to  Ivan: 

"  I  fear  me  'tis  all  over,  for  she  is  coming  herself !  Look 
now,  I'll  change  thee  into  a  stream  and  myself  into  a  fish — a 
perch." 

Immediately  after  the  she  dragon  came  up  and  said  to  the 
perch : 

"  Oh,  oh !  so  thou  wouldst  run  away  from  me,  eh ! " 

Then  she  turned  herself  into  a  pike  and  began  chasing  the 
perch,  but  every  time  she  drew  near  to  it  the  perch  turned  its 
prickly  fins  toward  her,  so  that  she  could  not  catch  hold  of  it. 
So  she  kept  on  chasing  it  and  chasing  it,  but  finding  she  could 
not  catch  it,  she  tried  to  drink  up  the  stream,  till  she  drank 
so  much  of  it  that  she  burst. 

Then  the  maiden  who  had  become  a  fish  said  to  the  youth 
who  had  become  a  river : 

"  Now  that  we  are  alive  and  not  dead,  go  back  to  thy  lord 
father  and  thy  father's  house  and  see  them,  and  kiss  them  all 
except  the  daughter  of  thy  uncle,  for  if  thou  kiss  that  damsel 
thou  wilt  forget  me,  and  I  shall  go  to  the  land  of  Nowhere." 

So  he  went  home  and  greeted  them  all,  and  as  he  did  so 
he  thought  to  himself : 

"  Why  should  I  not  greet  my  uncle's  daughter  like  the  rest 
of  them  ?  Why,  they'll  think  me  a  mere  pagan  if  I  don't !  " 

So  he  kissed  her,  and  the  moment  he  did  so  he  forgot  all 
about  the  girl  who  had  saved  him. 

So  he  remained  there  half  a  year,  and  then  bethought  him 
of  taking  to  himself  a  wife.  So  they  betrothed  him  to  a  very 

[400] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

pretty  girl,  and  he  accepted  her  and  forgot  all  about  the  other 
girl  who  had  saved  him  from  the  dragon,  the  one  who  herself 
was  the  she  dragon's  daughter.  Now  the  evening  before  the 
wedding  they  heard  a  young  damsel  crying  shishki*  in  the 
streets.  They  called  to  the  young  damsel  to  go  away,  or  say 
who  she  was,  for  nobody  knew  her.  But  the  damsel  answered 
never  a  word,  but  began  to  knead  more  cakes,  and  made  a 
cock  dove  and  a  hen  dove  out  of  the  dough  and  put  them 
down  on  the  ground,  and  they  became  alive.  And  the  hen 
dove  said  to  the  cock  dove : 

"  Hast  thou  forgotten  how  I  cleared  the  field  for  thee,  and 
sowed  it  with  wheat,  and  thou  mad'st  a  roll  from  the  corn 
which  thou  gavest  to  the  she  dragon  ?  " 

But  the  cock  dove  answered : 

"  Forgotten !  forgotten !  " 

Then  she  said  to  him  again : 

"  And  hast  thou  forgotten  how  I  dug  away  the  mountain  for 
thee,  and  let  the  Dnieper  flow  by  it  that  the  merchant  barques 
might  come  to  thy  storehouses,  and  that  thou  might'st  sell 
thy  wheat  to  the  merchant  barques  ?  " 

But  the  cock  dove  replied: 

"  Forgotten !  forgotten !  " 

Then  the  hen  dove  said  to  him  again : 

"  And  hast  thou  forgotten  how  we  two  went  together  in 
search  of  the  golden  hare?  Hast  thou  forgotten  me  then 
altogether?" 

And  the  cock  dove  answered  again: 

"  Forgotten !  forgotten !  " 

Then  the  good  youth  Ivan  bethought  him  who  this  damsel 
was  that  had  made  the  doves,  and  he  took  her  to  his  arms 
and  made  her  his  wife,  and  they  lived  happily  ever  afterwards. 

*  Wedding-cakes  of  the  shape  of  pine  cones. 


[40l) 


THE    FAIRY   RING 
The    Sparrow  and  the   Bush 

jj  SPARROW  once  flew  down  upon  a  bush  and  said: 
y^f    "  Little  bush,  give  good  little  sparrow  a  swing." 
JL  JL     "I  won't!"  said  the  little  bush.     Then  the  sparrow 
was  angry,  and  went  to  the  goat  and  said : 

"  Goat,  goat,  nibble  bush,  bush  won't  give  good  little  spar 
row  a  swing." 

"  I  won't !  "  said  the  goat. 
Then  the  sparrow  went  to  the  wolf  and  said : 
"  Wolf,  wolf,  eat  goat,  goat  won't  nibble  bush,  bush  won't 
give  good  little  sparrow  a  swing." 
"  I  won't !  "  said  the  wolf. 
Then  the  sparrow  went  to  the  people  and  said : 
"  Good  people,  kill  wolf,  wolf  won't  eat  goat,  goat  won't 
nibble  bush,  bush  won't  give  good  little  sparrow  a  swing." 
"  We  won't !  "  said  the  people. 
Then  the  sparrow  went  to  the  Tartars : 
"  Tartars,  Tartars,  slay  people,  people  won't  kill  wolf,  wolf 
won't  eat  goat,  goat  won't  nibble  bush,  bush  won't  give  good 
little  sparrow  a  swing."    But  the  Tartars  said : 

"  We  won't  slay  the  people !  "  and  the  people  said : 
"  We  won't  kill  the  wolf !  "  and  the  wolf  said : 
"  I  won't  eat  the  goat !  "  and  the  goat  said : 
"  I  won't  nibble  the  bush !  "  and  the  bush  said : 
"  I  won't  give  the  good  little  sparrow  a  swing." 
"  Go ! "  said  the  bush,  "  to  the  fire,  for  the  Tartars  won't 
slay  the  people,  and  the  people  won't  kill  the  wolf,  and  the 
wolf  won't  eat  the  goat,  and  the  goat  won't  nibble  the  bush, 
and  the  bush  won't  give  the  dear  little  sparrow  a  swing." 
But  the  fire  also  said: 

"  I  won't!  "  (they  were  all  alike) — "  go  to  the  water,"  said 
he. 

So  the  sparrow  went  to  the  water  and  said: 
"  Come  water,  quench  fire,  fire  won't  burn  Tartars,  Tar 
tars  won't  slay  people,  people  won't  kill  wolf,  wolf  won't  eat 

[402] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

goat,   goat   won't  nibble   bush,  bush   won't  give  good  little 
sparrow  a  swing." 

But  the  water  also  said: 

"  I  won't !  "    So  the  sparrow  went  to  the  ox  and  said : 
"  Ox,  ox,  drink  water,  water  won't  quench  fire,  fire  won't 
burn   Tartars,   Tartars   won't   slay  people,   people   won't   kill 
wolf,  wolf  won't  eat  goat,  goat  won't  nibble  bush,  bush  won't 
give  little  sparrow  a  swing." 
"  I  won't !  "  said  the  ox. 

Then  the  sparrow  went  to  the  poleax  and  said: 
"  Poleax,  poleax,  strike  ox,   ox  won't  drink  water,  water 
won't  quench  fire,  fire  won't  burn  Tartars,  Tartars  won't  slay 
people,   people    won't  kill   wolf,   wolf    won't   eat   goat,   goat 
won't  nibble  bush,  bush  won't  give  little  sparrow  a  swing." 
"  I  won't !  "  said  the  poleax. 
So  the  sparrow  went  to  the  worms  and  said : 
"  Worms,   worms,   gnaw   poleax,   poleax    won't   strike   ox, 
ox   won't  drink   water,   water   won't  quench   fire,   fire   won't 
burn   Tartars,   Tartars   won't  slay   people,   people   won't   kill 
wolf,  wolf  won't  eat  goat,  goat  won't  nibble  bush,  bush  won't 
give  little  sparrow  a  swing." 
"  We  won't !  "  said  the  worms. 
Then  the  sparrow  went  to  the  hen  and  said : 
"  Hen,  hen,  peck  worms,  worms  won't  gnaw  poleax,  pole 
ax    won't    strike    ox,    ox    won't    drink    water,    water    won't 
quench    fire,    fire    won't   burn    Tartars,    Tartars    won't    slay 
people,  people  won't  kill  wolf,  wolf  won't  eat  goat,  goat  won't 
nibble  bush,  bush  won't  give  little  sparrow  a  swing." 

"  I  won't!  "  said  the  hen,  "  but  go  to  the  sparrow  hawk,  he 
ought  to  give  the  first  push,  or  why  is  he  called  the  pusher !  "  * 
So  the  sparrow  went  to  the  sparrow  hawk  and  said: 
"  Come,  pusher,  seize  hen,  hen  won't  peck  worms,  worms 
won't  gnaw  poleax,  poleax  won't  strike  ox,  ox  won't  drink 
water,  water  won't  quench  fire,  fire  won't  burn  Tartars,  Tar 
tars  won't  slay  people,  people  won't  kill  wolf,  wolf  won't  eat 

*  Shulyak  means  both  sparrow  hcwk  and  push. 
[403] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

goat,  goat  won't  nibble  bush,  bush  won't  give  little  sparrow 
a  swing." 

Then  the  sparrow  hawk  began  to  seize  the  hen,  the  hen 
began  to  peck  the  worms,  the  worms  began  to  gnaw  the 
poleax,  the  poleax  began  to  hit  the  ox,  the  ox  began  to 
drink  the  water,  the  water  began  to  quench  the  fire,  the  fire 
began  to  burn  the  Tartars,  the  Tartars  began  to  slay  the 
people,  the  people  began  to  kill  the  wolf,  the  wolf  began  to  eat 
the  goat,  the  goat  began  to  nibble  the  bush,  and  the  bush  cried 
out: 

"  Swing  away,  swing  away,  swi-i-i-i-ing! 
Little  daddy  sparrow,  have  your  fli-i-i-ing!  " 


The   Iron    Wolf 


^Tl      HERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  parson  who  had  a 

i  servant  and  when  this  servant  had  served  him  faith- 
-^  fully  for  twelve  years  and  upward,  he  came  to  the 
parson  and  said :  "  Let  us  now  settle  our  accounts,  master, 
and  pay  me  what  thou  owest  me.  I  have  now  served  long 
enough,  and  would  fain  have  a  little  place  in  the  wide  world 
all  to  myself." 

"  Good !  "  said  the  parson.  "  I'll  tell  thee  now  what  wage 
I'll  give  thee  for  thy  faithful  service.  I'll  give  thee  this  egg. 
Take  it  home,  and  when  thou  gettest  there,  make  to  thyself 
a  cattle  pen,  and  make  it  strong;  then  break  the  egg  in  the 
middle  of  thy  cattle  pen,  and  thou  shalt  see  something.  But 
whatever  thou  doest,  don't  break  it  on  thy  way  home,  or 
all  thy  luck  will  leave  thee." 

So  the  servant  departed  on  his  homeward  way.  He  went 
on  and  on,  and  at  last  he  thought  to  himself: 

"  Come  now,  I'll  see  what  is  inside  this  egg  of  mine ! " 
So  he  broke  it,  and  out  of  it  came  all  sorts  of  cattle  in  such 
numbers  that  the  open  steppe  became  like  a  fair.  The 
servant  stood  there  in  amazement,  and  he  thought  to  himself : 

[404] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

"  However  in  this  world  shall  I  be  able  to  drive  all  these 
cattle  back  again  ?  "  He  had  scarcely  uttered  the  words  when 
the  Iron  Wolf  came  running  up,  and  said  to  him : 

"  I'll  collect  and  drive  back  all  these  cattle  into  the  egg 
again,  and  I'll  patch  the  egg  up  so  that  it  will  become  quite 
whole.  But  in  return  for  that/'  continued  the  Iron  Wolf, 
"  whenever  thou  dost  sit  down  on  the  bridal  bench,*  I'll  come 
and  eat  thee." 

"  Well,"  thought  the  servant  to  himself,  "  a  lot  of  things 
may  happen  before  I  sit  down  on  the  bridal  bench  and  he 
comes  to  eat  me,  and  in  the  meantime  I  shall  get  all  these 
cattle.  Agreed,  then,"  said  he.  So  the  Iron  Wolf  immedi 
ately  collected  all  the  cattle,  and  drove  them  back  into  the 
egg,  and  patched  up  the  egg  and  made  it  whole  just  as  it  was 
before. 

The  servant  went  home  to  the  village  where  he  lived, 
made  him  a  cattle  pen  stronger  than  strong,  went  inside  it 
and  broke  the  egg,  and  immediately  that  cattle  pen  was  as 
full  of  cattle  as  it  could  hold.  Then  he  took  to  farming  and 
cattle-breeding,  and  he  became  so  rich  that  in  the  whole  wide 
world  there  was  none  richer  than  he.  He  kept  to  himself, 
and  his  goods  increased  and  multiplied  exceedingly ;  the  only 
thing  wanting  to  his  happiness  was  a  wife,  but  a  wife  he  was 
afraid  to  take.  Now  near  to  where  he  lived  was  a  general 
who  had  a  lovely  daughter,  and  this  daughter  fell  in  love 
with  the  rich  man.  So  the  general  went  and  said  to  him : 

"  Come,  why  don't  you  marry?  I'll  give  you  my  daughter 
and  lots  of  money  with  her." 

"  How  is  it  possible  for  me  to  marry  ?  "  replied  the  man ; 
"  as  soon  as  ever  I  sit  down  on  the  bridal  bench  the  Iron  Wolf 
will  come  and  eat  me  up."  And  he  told  the  general  all  that 
had  happened. 

"  Oh,  nonsense !  "  said  the  general,  "  don't  be  afraid.  I  have 
a  mighty  host,  and  when  the  time  comes  for  you  to  sit  down 

*  Posad,  or  posag,  a  bench  covered  with  white  cloth  on  which  the 
bride  and  bridegroom  sat  down  together. 

[405] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

on  the  bridal  bench  we'll  surround  your  house  with  three 
strong  rows  of  soldiers,  and  they  won't  let  the  Iron  Wolf 
get  at  you,  I  can  tell  you."  So  they  talked  the  matter  over 
till  he  let  himself  be  persuaded,  and  then  they  began  to  make 
great  preparations  for  the  bridal  banquet.  Everything  went 
off  exceedingly  well,  and  they  made  merry  till  the  time  came 
when  bride  and  bridegroom  were  to  sit  down  together  on  the 
bridal  bench.  Then  the  general  placed  his  men  in  three 
strong  rows  all  around  the  house  so  as  not  to  let  the  Iron 
Wolf  get  in ;  and  no  sooner  had  the  young  people  sat  down 
upon  the  bridal  bench  than,  sure  enough,  the  Iron  Wolf  came 
running  up.  He  saw  the  host  standing  around  the  house  in 
three  strong  rows,  but  through  all  three  rows  he  leaped  and 
made  straight  for  the  house.  But  the  man,  as  soon  as  he 
saw  the  Iron  Wolf,  leaped  out  of  the  window,  mounted  his 
horse,  and  galloped  off  with  the  wolf  after  him. 

Away  and  away  he  galloped,  and  after  him  came  the  Wolf, 
but  try  as  it  would,  it  could  not  catch  him  up  anyhow.  At 
last,  toward  evening,  the  man  stopped  and  looked  about  him, 
and  saw  that  he  was  in  a  lone  forest,  and  before  him  stood  a 
hut.  He  went  up  to  this  hut,  and  saw  an  old  man  and  an  old 
woman  sitting  in  front  of  it,  and  said  to  them : 

"  Would  you  let  me  rest  a  little  while  with  you,  good 
people  ?  " 

"  By  all  means !  "  said  they. 

"  There  is  one  thing,  however,  good  people,"  said  he, 
"  don't  let  the  Iron  Wolf  catch  me  while  I  am  resting  with 
you." 

"  Have  no  fear  of  that !  "  replied  the  old  couple.  "  We  have 
a  dog  called  Chutko  *  who  can  hear  a  wolf  coming  a  mile 
off,  and  he'll  be  sure  to  let  us  know." 

So  he  laid  him  down  to  sleep,  and  was  just  dropping  off 
when  Chutko  began  to  bark.  Then  the  old  people  awoke 
him,  and  said : 

"  Be  off !  be  off !  for  the  Iron  Wolf  is  coming." 

*  Hearkener. 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

And  they  gave  him  the  dog,  and  a  wheaten  hearth  cake  as 
provision  by  the  way. 

So  he  went  on  and  on,  and  the  dog  followed  after  him  till 
it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  then  he  perceived  another  hut 
in  another  forest.  He  went  up  to  that  hut,  and  in  front  of  it 
were  sitting  an  old  man  and  an  old  woman.  He  asked  them 
for  a  night's  lodging. 

"Only,"  said  he,  "take  care  that  the  Iron  Wolf  doesn't 
catch  me." 

"  Have  no  fear  of  that,"  said  they.  "  We  have  a  dog  here 
called  Vazhko,*  who  can  hear  a  wolf  nine  miles  off." 

So  he  laid  him  down  and  slept.  Just  before  dawn  Vazhko 
began  to  bark.  Immediately  they  awoke  him. 

"  Run !  "  cried  they,  "  the  Iron  Wolf  is  coming!  " 

And  they  gave  him  the  dog,  and  a  barley  hearth-cake  as 
provision  by  the  way.  So  he  took  the  hearth  cake,  sat  him 
on  his  horse  and  off  he  went,  and  his  two  dogs  followed  after 
him. 

He  went  on  and  on.  On  and  on  he  went  till  evening,  when 
again  he  stopped  and  looked  about  him,  and  he  saw  that  he 
was  in  another  forest,  and  another  little  hut  stood  before  him. 
He  went  into  the  hut,  and  there  were  sitting  an  old  man  and 
an  old  woman. 

"Will  you  let  me  pass  the  night  here,  good  people?"  said 
he.  "  Only  take  care  that  the  Iron  Wolf  does  not  get  hold 
of  me." 

"  Have  no  fear,"  said  they,  "  we  have  a  dog  called  Bary, 
who  can  hear  a  wolf  coming  twelve  miles  off.  He'll  let  us 
know." 

So  he  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  early  in  the  morning  Bary 
let  them  know  that  the  Iron  Wolf  was  drawing  nigh.  Im 
mediately  they  awoke  him. 

"  Tis  high  time  for  you  to  be  off !  "  said  they. 

Then  they  gave  him  the  dog,  and  a  buckwheat  hearth  cake 
as  provision  by  the  way.  He  took  the  hearth  cake,  sat  him 

*  Heavysides. 
[407] 


THE  FAIRT  RING 

on  his  horse,  and  off  he  went.  So  now  he  had  three  dogs, 
and  they  all  three  followed  him. 

He  went  on  and  on,  and  toward  evening  he  found  himself 
in  front  of  another  hut.  He  went  into  it,  and  there  was  no 
body  there.  He  went  and  lay  down,  and  his  dogs  lay  down 
also — Chutko  on  the  threshold  of  the  room  door,  Vazhko  at 
the  threshold  of  the  house  door,  and  Bary  at  the  threshold 
of  the  outer  gate.  Presently  the  Iron  Wolf  came  trotting  up. 
Immediately  Chutko  gave  the  alarm,  Vazhko  nailed  him  to 
the  earth,  and  Bary  tore  him  to  pieces. 

Then  the  man  gathered  his  faithful  dogs  around  him, 
mounted  his  horse,  and  went  back  to  his  own  home. 


The    Grateful  Cobra 


upon  a  time  there  was  a  rajah  and  ranee  who 
were  much  grieved  because  they  had  no  children,  and 
the  little  dog  in  the  palace  had  also  no  puppies.  At 
last  the  Rajah  and  Ranee  had  some  children,  and  it  also 
happened  that  the  pet  dog  in  the  palace  had  some  puppies ; 
but,  unfortunately,  the  Ranee's  two  children  were  two  pup 
pies  and  the  dog's  two  puppies  were  two  pretty  little  girls! 
This  vexed  her  majesty  very  much;  and  sometimes  when 
the  dog  had  gone  away  to  its  dinner,  the  Ranee  used  to  put 
the  two  puppies  (her  children)  into  the  kennel,  and  carry 
away  the  dog's  two  little  girls  to  the  palace.  Then  the  poor 
dog  grew  very  unhappy,  and  said :  "  They  never  will  leave 
my  two  little  children  alone.  I  must  take  them  away  into 
the  jungle,  or  their  lives  will  be  worried  out."  So  one  night 
she  took  the  little  girls  in  her  mouth  and  ran  with  them  to 
the  jungle,  and  there  made  them  a  home  in  a  pretty  cave 
in  the  rock,  beside  a  clear  stream;  and  every  day  she  would 
go  into  the  towns  and  carry  away  some  nice  currie  and  rice 
to  give  her  little  daughters ;  and  if  she  found  any  pretty  clothes 
or  jewels  that  she  could  bring  away  in  her  mouth,  she  used 
to  take  them  also  for  the  children. 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

Now  it  happened  some  time  after  this,  one  day,  when  the 
dog  had  gone  to  fetch  her  daughters'  dinner,  two  young 
princes  (a  rajah  and  his  brother)  came  to  hunt  in  the  jungle, 
and  they  hunted  all  day  and  found  nothing.  It  had  been 
very  hot,  and  they  were  thirsty ;  so  they  went  to  a  tree  which 
grew  on  a  little  piece  of  high  ground,  and  sent  their  attendants 
to  search  all  around  for  water ;  but  no  one  could  find  any.  At 
last  one  of  the  hunting  dogs  came  to  the  foot  of  the  tree,  quite 
muddy,  and  the  Rajah  said:  "  Look,  the  dog  is  muddy:  he 
must  have  found  water ;  follow  him,  and  see  where  he  goes." 
The  attendants  followed  the  dog,  and  saw  him  go  to  the 
stream  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave  where  the  two  children  were ; 
and  the  two  children  also  saw  them,  and  were  very  much 
frightened  and  ran  inside  the  cave.  Then  the  attendants  re 
turned  to  the  two  princes  and  said :  "  We  have  found  clear, 
sparkling  water  flowing  past  a  cave,  and,  what  is  more,  within 
the  cave  are  two  of  the  most  lovely  young  ladies  that  eye 
ever  beheld,  clothed  in  fine  dresses  and  covered  with  jewels ; 
but  when  they  saw  us  they  were  frightened  and  ran  away." 
On  hearing  this  the  princes  bade  their  servants  lead  them  to 
the  place ;  and  when  they  saw  the  two  young  girls,  they  were 
quite  charmed  with  them,  and  asked  them  to  go  to  their 
kingdom  and  become  their  wives.  The  maidens  were  fright 
ened ;  but  at  last  the  Rajah  and  his  brother  persuaded  them, 
and  they  went,  and  the  Rajah  married  the  elder  sister,  and  his 
brother  married  the  younger. 

When  the  dog  returned,  she  was  grieved  to  find  her  chil 
dren  gone,  and  for  twelve  long  years  the  poor  thing  ran 
many,  many  miles  to  find  them,  but  in  vain.  At  last  one 
day  she  came  to  the  place  where  the  two  princesses  lived. 
Now  it  chanced  that  the  elder,  the  wife  of  the  Rajah,  was 
looking  out  of  the  window,  and  seeing  the  dog  run  down  the 
street,  she  said :  "  That  must  be  my  dear,  long-lost  mother." 
So  she  ran  into  the  street  as  fast  as  possible,  and  took  the 
tired  dog  in  her  arms,  and  brought  her  into  her  own  room, 
and  made  her  a  nice  comfortable  bed  on  the  floor,  and  bathed 
her  feet,  and  was  very  kind  to  her.  Then  the  dog  said  to  her : 

[409] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  My  daughter,  you  are  good  and  kind,  and  it  is  a  great  joy 
to  me  to  see  you  again,  but  I  must  not  stay ;  I  will  first  go  and 
see  your  younger  sister,  and  then  return."  The  Ranee  an 
swered  :  "  Do  not  do  so,  dear  mother ;  rest  here  to-day ;  to 
morrow  I  will  send  and  let  my  sister  know,  and  she,  too, 
will  come  and  see  you."  But  the  poor,  silly  dog  would  not 
stay,  but  ran  to  the  house  of  her  second  daughter.  Now  the 
second  daughter  was  looking  out  of  the  window  when  the 
unfortunate  creature  came  to  the  door,  and  seeing  the  dog 
she  said  to  herself :  "  That  must  be  my  mother.  What  will 
my  husband  think  if  he  learns  that  this  wretched,  ugly, 
miserable-looking  dog  is  my  mother  ?  "  So  she  ordered  her 
servants  to  go  and  throw  stones  at  it,  and  drive  it  away,  and 
they  did  so;  and  one  large  stone  hit  the  dog's  head,  and  she 
ran  back,  very  much  hurt,  to  her  elder  daughter's  house. 
The  Ranee  saw  her  coming,  and  ran  out  into  the  street  and 
brought  her  in  in  her  arms,  and  did  all  she  could  to  make 
her  well,  saying:  "Ah,  mother,  mother!  why  did  you  ever 
leave  my  house  ?  "  But  all  her  care  was  in  vain :  the  poor 
dog  died.  Then  the  Ranee  thought  her  husband  might  be 
vexed  if  he  found  a  dead  dog  (an  unclean  animal)  in  the 
palace;  so  she  put  the  body  in  a  small  room  into  which  the 
Rajah  hardly  ever  went,  intending  to  have  it  reverently  buried; 
and  over  it  she  placed  a  basket  turned  topsy-turvy. 

It  so  happened,  however,  that  when  the  Rajah  came  to  visit 
his  wife,  as  chance  would  have  it,  he  went  through  this  very 
room;  and  tripping  over  the  upturned  basket,  called  for  a 
light  to  see  what  it  was.  Then,  lo  and  behold!  there  lay  the 
statue  of  a  dog,  life-size,  composed  entirely  of  diamonds, 
emeralds,  and  other  precious  stones,  set  in  gold !  So  he  called 
out  to  his  wife,  and  said :  "  Where  did  you  get  this  beautiful 
dog?"  And  when  the  Ranee  saw  the  golden  dog,  she  was 
very  much  frightened,  and,  I'm  sorry  to  say,  instead  of  tell 
ing  her  husband  the  truth,  she  told  a  story,  and  said,  "  Oh, 
it  is  only  a  present  my  parents  sent  me." 

Now  see  what  trouble  she  got  into  for  not  telling  the  truth. 

"  Only!"  said  the  Rajah;  "why  this  is  valuable  enough  to 

[410] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

buy  the  whole  of  my  kingdom.  Your  parents  must  be  very 
rich  people  to  be  able  to  send  you  such  presents  as  this.  How 
is  it  you  never  told  me  of  them  ?  Where  do  they  live  ? " 
Now  she  had  to  tell  another  story  to  cover  the  first.  She 
said:  "  In  the  jungle."  He  replied:  "  I  will  go  and  see  them; 
you  must  take  me  and  show  me  where  they  live."  Then  the 
Ranee  thought :  "  What  will  the  Rajah  say  when  he  finds  I 
have  been  telling  him  such  stories?  He  will  order  my  head 
to  be  cut  off."  So  she  said,  "  You  must  first  give  me  a  palan 
quin,  and  I  will  go  into  the  jungle  and  tell  them  you  are 
coming  ";  but  really  she  had  determined  to  kill  herself,  and  so 
get  out  of  her  difficulties.  Away  she  went ;  and  when  she  had 
gone  some  distance  in  her  palanquin,  she  saw  a  large  white 
ants'  nest,  over  which  hung  a  cobra,  with  his  mouth  wide 
open ;  then  the  Ranee  thought :  "  I  will  go  to  that  cobra  and  put 
my  finger  in  his  mouth,  that  he  may  bite  me,  and  so  I  shall 
die."  So  she  ordered  the  palkee  bearers  to  wait,  and  said  she 
would  be  back  in  a  while,  and  got  out,  and  ran  to  the  ants' 
nest,  and  put  her  finger  in  the  cobra's  mouth.  Now  a  large 
thorn  had  run,  a  short  time  before,  into  the  cobra's  throat, 
and  hurt  him  very  much ;  and  the  Ranee,  by  putting  her  finger 
into  his  mouth,  pushed  out  this  thorn ;  then  the  cobra,  feeling 
much  better,  turned  to  her,  and  said :  "  My  dear  daughter, 
you  have  done  me  a  great  kindness ;  what  return  can  I  make 
you  ?  "  The  Ranee  told  him  all  her  story,  and  begged  him 
to  bite  her,  that  she  might  die.  But  the  cobra  said:  "  You  cer 
tainly  did  very  wrong  to  tell  the  Rajah  that  story;  nevertheless, 
you  have  been  very  kind  to  me.  I  will  help  you  in  your 
difficulty.  Send  your  husband  here.  I  will  provide  you  with 
a  father  and  mother  of  whom  you  need  not  be  ashamed." 
So  the  Ranee  returned  joyfully  to  the  palace,  and  invited 
her  husband  to  come  and  see  her  parents. 

Wrhen  they  reached  the  spot  near  where  the  cobra  was, 
what  a  wonderful  sight  awaited  them!  There,  in  the  place 
which  had  before  been  thick  jungle,  stood  a  splendid  palace, 
twenty-four  miles  long  and  twenty-four  miles  broad,  with 
gardens  and  trees  and  fountains  all  around ;  and  the  light  shin- 

[411] 


THE    FAIRY    RING 

ing  from  it  was  to  be  seen  a  hundred  miles  off.  The  walls 
were  made  of  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  the  carpets,  cloth 
of  gold.  Hundreds  of  servants,  in  rich  dresses,  stood  waiting 
in  the  long,  lofty  rooms ;  and  in  the  last  room  of  all,  upon 
golden  thrones,  sat  a  magnificent  old  Rajah  and  Ranee, 
who  introduced  themselves  to  the  young  Rajah  as  his  papa- 
and  mamma-in-law.  The  Rajah  and  Ranee  stayed  at  the 
palace  six  months,  and  were  entertained  the  whole  of  that 
time  with  feasting  and  music ;  and  they  left  for  their  own 
home  loaded  with  presents.  Before  they  started,  however,  the 
Ranee  went  to  her  friend,  the  cobra,  and  said :  "  You  have 
conjured  up  all  these  beautiful  things  to  get  me  out  of  my 
difficulties,  but  my  husband,  the  Rajah  has  enjoyed  his  visit 
so  much  that  he  will  certainly  want  to  come  here  again.  Then, 
if  he  returns  and  finds  nothing  at  all,  he  will  be  very  angry 
with  me."  The  friendly  cobra  answered :  "  Do  not  fear. 
When  you  have  gone  twenty-four  miles  on  your  journey,  look 
back,  and  see  what  you  will  see."  So  they  started;  and  on 
looking  back  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  miles,  saw  the  whole 
of  the  splendid  palace  in  flames,  the  fire  reaching  up  to 
heaven.  The  Rajah  returned  to  see  if  he  could  help  any 
body  to  escape,  or  invite  them  in  their  distress  to  his  court; 
but  he  found  that  all  was  burned  down — not  a  stone  nor  a 
living  creature  remained ! 

Then  he  grieved  much  over  the  sad  fate  of  his  parents-in- 
law. 

When  the  party  returned  home,  the  Rajah's  brother  said  to 
him :  "  Where  did  you  get  these  magnificent  presents  ?  "  He 
replied :  "  They  are  gifts  from  my  father-  and  mother-in-law." 
At  this  news  the  Rajah's  brother  went  home  to  his  wife 
very  discontented,  and  asked  her  why  she  had  never  told 
him  of  her  parents,  and  taken  him  to  see  them,  whereby  he 
might  have  received  rich  gifts  as  well  as  his  brother.  His 
wife  then  went  to  her  sister,  and  asked  how  she  had  managed 
to  get  all  the  things.  But  the  Ranee  said :  "  Go  away, 
you  wicked  woman,  I  will  not  speak  to  you.  You  killed  the 
poor  dog,  our  mother." 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

But  afterwards  she  told  her  all  about  it. 

The  sister  then  said :  "  I  shall  go  and  see  the  cobra,  and  get 
presents  too."  The  Ranee  then  answered :  "  You  can  go  if 
you  like." 

So  the  sister  ordered  her  palanquin,  and  told  her  husband 
she  was  going  to  see  her  parents,  and  prepare  them  for  a  visit 
from  him.  When  she  reached  the  ants'  nest  she  saw  the  cobra 
there,  and  she  went  and  put  her  finger  in  his  mouth,  and  the 
cobra  bit  her,  and  she  died. 


The    Magic    Ring 


NCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  an  old  couple  who  had  one 
son  called  Martin.  Now,  when  the  old  man's  time  had 
come  he  stretched  himself  out  on  his  bed  and  died. 
Though  all  his  life  long  he  had  toiled  and  moiled,  he  only 
left  his  widow  and  son  two  hundred  florins.  The  old  woman 
determined  to  put  by  the  money  for  a  rainy  day,  but,  alas! 
the  rainy  day  was  close  at  hand,  for  their  meal  was  all  con 
sumed,  and  who  is  prepared  to  face  starvation  with  two  hun 
dred  florins  at  their  disposal?  So  the  old  woman  counted  out 
one  hundred  florins,  and  giving  them  to  Martin,  told  him  to 
go  into  the  town  and  lay  in  a  store  of  meal  for  a  year. 

So  Martin  started  off  for  the  town.  When  he  reached  the 
meat  market  he  found  the  whole  place  in  turmoil  and  a  great 
noise  of  angry  voices  and  barking  of  dogs.  Mixing  in  the 
crowd,  he  noticed  a  stag  hound  which  the  butchers  had  caught 
and  tied  to  a  post,  and  which  was  being  flogged  in  a  merci 
less  manner.  Overcome  with  pity,  Martin  spoke  to  the  butch 
ers,  saying: 

"  Friends,  why  are  you  beating  the  poor  dog  so  cruelly?" 

"  We  have  every  right  to  beat  him,"  they  replied.  "  He 
has  just  devoured  a  newly  killed  pig." 

"  Leave  off  beating  him,"  said  Martin,  "  and  sell  him  to  me 
instead." 

[413] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  If  you  choose  to  buy  him,"  answered  the  butchers  de 
risively  ;  "  but  for  such  a  treasure  we  won't  take  a  penny  less 
than  one  hundred  florins." 

"  A  hundred !  "  exclaimed  Martin.  "  Well,  so  be  it,  if  you 
will  not  take  less  " ;  and  taking  the  money  out  of  his  pocket 
he  handed  it  over  in  exchange  for  the  dog,  whose  name  was 
Schurka. 

When  Martin  got  home  his  mother  met  him  with  the 
question : 

"  Well,  what  have  you  bought?  " 

"  Schurka,  the  dog,"  replied  Martin,  pointing  to  his  new 
possession.  Whereupon  his  mother  became  very  angry  and 
abused  him  roundly.  He  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  himself, 
when  there  was  scarcely  a  handful  of  meal  in  the  house,  to 
have  spent  the  money  on  a  useless  brute  like  that.  On  the 
following  day  she  sent  him  back  to  the  town,  saying :  "  Here, 
take  our  last  one  hundred  florins  and  buy  provisions  with 
them.  I  have  just  emptied  the  last  grains  of  meal  out  of 
the  chest  and  baked  a  bannock;  but  it  won't  last  over  to 
morrow." 

Just  as  Martin  was  entering  the  town  he  met  a  rough- 
looking  peasant  who  was  dragging  a  cat  after  him  by  a  string 
which  was  fastened  around  the  poor  beast's  neck. 

"  Stop !  "  cried  Martin.  "  Where  are  you  dragging  that 
poor  cat  ?  " 

"  I  mean  to  drown  it,"  was  the  answer. 

"  What  harm  has  the  poor  beast  done  ?  "  said  Martin. 

"  It  has  just  killed  a  goose,"  replied  the  peasant. 

"  Don't  drown  it — sell  it  to  me  instead,"  begged  Martin. 

"  Not  for  one  hundred  florins,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Surely  for  one  hundred  florins  you'll  sell  it?"  said  Mar 
tin.  "  See !  here  is  the  money."  And  so  saying  he  handed 
him  the  one  hundred  florins,  which  the  peasant  pocketed,  and 
Martin  took  possession  of  the  cat,  which  was  called  Waska. 

When  he  reached  his  home  his  mother  greeted  him  with 
the  question: 

"  Well,  what  have  you  brought  back?  " 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

"  I  have  brought  this  cat,  Waska,"  answered  Martin. 

"And  what  besides?" 

"  I  had  no  money  over  to  buy  anything  else  with,"  replied 
Martin. 

"  You  useless  ne'er-do-weel ! "  exclaimed  his  mother  in  a 
great  passion.  "  Leave  the  house  at  once  and  go  and  beg 
your  bread  among  strangers."  And  as  Martin  did  not  dare 
to  contradict  her,  he  called  Schurka  and  Waska  and  started 
off  with  them  to  the  nearest  village  in  search  of  work.  On 
the  way  he  met  a  rich  peasant,  who  asked  him  where  he  was 
going. 

"  I  want  to  get  work  as  a  day  laborer,"  he  answered. 

"  Come  along  with  me,  then.  But  I  must  tell  you  I  engage 
my  laborers  without  wages.  If  you  serve  me  faithfully  for  a 
year  I  promise  you  it  shall  be  to  your  advantage." 

So  Martin  consented,  and  for  a  year  he  worked  diligently 
and  served  his  master  faithfully,  not  sparing  himself  in  any 
way.  When  the  day  of  reckoning  had  come  the  peasant  led 
him  into  a  barn,  and  pointing  to  two  full  sacks  said :  "  Take 
whichever  of  these  you  choose." 

Martin  examined  the  contents  of  the  sacks,  and  seeing  that 
one  was  full  of  silver  and  the  other  of  sand,  he  said  to  himself : 
"  There  must  be  some  trick  about  this.  I  had  better  take  the 
sand."  And  throwing  the  sack  over  his  shoulders  he  started 
out  into  the  world  in  search  of  fresh  work.  On  and  on  he 
walked,  and  at  last  he  reached  a  great  gloomy  wood.  In  the 
middle  of  the  wood  he  came  upon  a  meadow,  where  a  fire  was 
burning,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  fire,  surrounded  by  flames,  was 
a  lovely  damsel,  more  beautiful  than  anything  that  Martin  had 
ever  seen,  and  when  she  saw  him  she  called  to  him : 

"  Martin,  if  you  would  win  happiness  save  my  life.  Extin 
guish  the  flames  with  the  sand  that  you  earned  in  payment  of 
your  faithful  service." 

"  Truly,"  thought  Martin  to  himself,  "  it  would  be  more  sen 
sible  to  save  a  fellow-being's  life  with  this  sand  than  to  drag 
it  about  on  one's  back,  seeing  what  a  weight  it  is."  And  forth 
with  he  lowered  the  sack  from  his  shoulders  and  emptied  its 

[415] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

contents  on  the  flames,  and  instantly  the  fire  was  extinguished ; 
but  at  the  same  moment  lo  and  behold!  the  lovely  damsel 
turned  into  a  serpent  and  darting  upon  him  coiled  itself  around 
his  neck  and  whispered  lovingly  in  his  ear: 

"  Do  not  be  afraid  of  me,  Martin.  I  love  you  and  will  go 
with  you  through  the  world.  But  first  you  must  follow  me 
boldly  into  my  father's  kingdom,  underneath  the  earth ;  and 
when  we  get  there,  remember  this — he  will  offer  you  gold  and 
silver  and  dazzling  gems,  but  do  not  touch  them.  Ask  him, 
instead,  for  the  ring  which  he  wears  on  his  little  finger,  for  in 
that  ring  lies  a  magic  power.  You  have  only  to  throw  it  from 
one  hand  to  the  other,  and  at  once  twelve  young  men  will 
appear  who  will  do  your  bidding,  no  matter  how  difficult  it  is, 
in  a  single  night." 

So  they  started  on  their  way,  and  after  much  wandering 
they  reached  a  spot  where  a  great  rock  rose  straight  up  in  the 
middle  of  the  road.  Instantly  the  serpent  uncoiled  itself  from 
his  neck,  and  as  it  touched  the  damp  earth  it  resumed  the 
shape  of  the  lovely  damsel.  Pointing  to  the  rock,  she  showed 
him  an  opening  just  big  enough  for  a  man  to  wriggle  through. 
Passing  into  it,  they  entered  a  long  underground  passage 
which  led  out  on  to  a  wide  field  above  which  spread  a  blue  sky. 
In  the  middle  of  the  field  stood  a  magnificent  castle  built  out 
of  porphyry,  with  a  roof  of  gold  and  with  glittering  battle 
ments.  And  his  beautiful  guide  told  him  that  this  was  the 
palace  in  which  her  father  lived  and  reigned  over  his  kingdom 
in  the  underworld. 

Together  they  entered  the  palace  and  were  received  by  the 
King  with  great  kindness.  Turning  to  his  daughter  he  said: 

"  My  child,  I  had  almost  given  up  the  hope  of  ever  seeing 
you  again.  Where  have  you  been  all  these  years  ?  " 

"  My  father,"  she  replied,  "  I  owe  my  life  to  this  youth,  who 
saved  me  from  a  terrible  death." 

Upon  which  the  King  turned  to  Martin  with  a  gracious 
smile,  saying :  "  I  will  reward  your  courage  by  granting  you 
whatever  your  heart  desires.  Take  as  much  gold,  silver,  and 
precious  stones  as  you  choose." 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

"  I  thank  you,  mighty  King,  for  your  gracious  offer,"  an 
swered  Martin,  "  but  I  do  not  covet  either  gold,  silver,  or 
precious  stones ;  yet  if  you  will  grant  me  a  favor,  give  me,  I 
beg,  the  ring  from  off  the  little  finger  of  your  royal  hand. 
Every  time  my  eye  falls  on  it  I  shall  think  of  your  gracious 
majesty,  and  when  I  marry  I  shall  present  it  to  my  bride." 

So  the  King  took  the  ring  from  his  finger  and  gave  it  to 
Martin,  saying :  "  Take  it,  good  youth ;  but  with  it  I  make  one 
condition — you  are  never  to  confide  to  anyone  that  this  is  a 
magic  ring.  If  you  do,  you  will  straightway  bring  misfortune 
on  yourself." 

Martin  took  the  ring,  and  having  thanked  the  King  he  set 
out  on  the  same  road  by  which  he  had  come  down  into  the 
underworld.  When  he  had  regained  the  upper  air  he  started 
for  his  old  home,  and  having  found  his  mother  still  living  in 
the  old  house  where  he  had  left  her,  they  settled  down  to 
gether  very  happily.  So  uneventful  was  their  life  that  it 
almost  seemed  as  if  it  would  go  on  in  this  way  always  with 
out  let  or  hindrance.  But  one  day  it  suddenly  came  into  his 
mind  that  he  would  like  to  get  married,  and,  moreover,  that 
he  would  choose  a  very  grand  wife — a  king's  daughter,  in 
short.  But  as  he  did  not  trust  himself  as  a  wooer,  he  deter 
mined  to  send  his  old  mother  on  the  mission. 

"  You  must  go  to  the  King,"  he  said  to  her,  "  and  demand 
the  hand  of  his  lovely  daughter  in  marriage  for  me." 

"What  are  you  thinking  of,  my  son?"  answered  the  old 
woman,  aghast  at  the  idea.  "  Why  cannot  you  marry  some 
one  in  your  own  rank?  That  would  be  far  more  fitting  than 
to  send  a  poor  old  woman  like  me  a-wooing  to  the  King's 
court  for  the  hand  of  a  princess.  Why,  it  is  as  much  as  our 
heads  are  worth.  Neither  my  life  nor  yours  would  be  worth 
anything  if  I  went  on  such  a  fool's  errand." 

"  Never  fear,  little  mother,"  answered  Martin.  "  Trust  me ; 
all  will  be  well.  But  see  that  you  do  not  come  back  without 
an  answer  of  some  kind." 

And  so,  obedient  to  her  son's  behest,  the  old  woman  hob 
bled  off  to  the  palace,  and  without  being  hindered  reached 

[417] 


THE    FAIRY  RING 

the  courtyard  and  began  to  mount  the  flight  of  steps  leading 
to  the  royal  presence  chamber.  At  the  head  of  the  landing 
rows  of  courtiers  were  collected  in  magnificent  attire,  who 
stared  at  the  queer  old  figure,  and  called  to  her  and  explained 
to  her  with  every  kind  of  sign  that  it  was  strictly  forbidden 
to  mount  those  steps.  But  their  stern  words  and  forbidding 
gestures  made  no  impression  whatever  on  the  old  woman,  and 
she  resolutely  continued  to  climb  the  stairs,  bent  on  carrying 
out  her  son's  orders.  Upon  this  some  of  the  courtiers  seized 
her  by  the  arms  and  held  her  back  by  sheer  force,  at  which 
she  set  up  such  a  yell  that  the  King  himself  heard  it  and 
stepped  out  on  to  the  balcony  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 
When  he  beheld  the  old  woman  flinging  her  arms  wildly  about 
and  heard  her  screairj  that  she  would  not  leave  the  place  till 
she  had  laid  her  case  before  the  King,  he  ordered  that  she 
should  be  brought  into  his  presence.  And  forthwith  she  was 
conducted  into  the  golden  presence  chamber,  where,  leaning 
back  among  cushions  of  royal  purple,  the  King  sat,  surrounded 
by  his  counselors  and  courtiers.  Courtesying  low,  the  old 
woman  stood  silent  before  him. 

"  Well,  my  good  old  dame,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  "  asked 
the  King. 

"  I  have  come,"  replied  Martin's  mother — "  and  your  maj 
esty  must  not  be  angry  with  me — I  have  come  a-wooing." 

"  Is  the  woman  out  of  her  mind  ?  "  said  the  King,  with  an 
angry  frown. 

But  Martin's  mother  answered  boldly :  "  If  the  King  will 
only  listen  patiently  to  me  and  give  me  a  straightforward 
answer,  he  will  see  that  I  am  not  out  of  my  mind.  You,  O 
King,  have  a  lovely  daughter  to  give  in  marriage.  I  have  a 
son — a  wooer — as  clever  a  youth  and  as  good  a  son-in-law  as 
you  will  find  in  your  whole  kingdom.  There  is  nothing  that 
he  cannot  do.  Now  tell  me,  O  King,  plump  and  plain,  will 
you  give  your  daughter  to  my  son  as  wife  ?  " 

The  King  listened  to  the  end  of  the  old  woman's  strange 
request,  but  every  moment  his  face  grew  blacker  and  his  fea 
tures  sterner,  till  all  at  once  he  thought  to  himself :  "  Is  it  worth 

[418] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

while  that  I,  the  King,  should  be  angry  with  this  poor  old 
fool  ? "  And  all  the  courtiers  and  counselors  were  amazed 
when  they  saw  the  hard  lines  around  his  mouth  and  the  frown 
on  his  brow  grow  smooth,  and  heard  the  mild  but  mocking 
tones  in  which  he  answered  the  old  woman,  saying: 

"  If  your  son  is  as  wonderfully  clever  as  you  say,  and  if 
there  is  nothing  in  the  world  that  he  cannot  do,  let  him  build 
a  magnificent  castle,  just  opposite  my  palace  windows,  in 
twenty-four  hours.  The  palaces  must  be  joined  together  by  a 
bridge  of  pure  crystal.  On  each  side  of  the  bridge  there  must 
be  growing  trees,  having  golden  and  silver  apples  and  with 
birds  of  paradise  among  the  branches.  At  the  right  of  the 
bridge  there  must  be  a  church  with  five  golden  cupolas.  In 
this  church  your  son  shall  be  wedded  to  my  daughter,  and 
we  will  keep  the  wedding  festivities  in  the  new  castle.  But 
if  he  fails  to  execute  this  my  royal  command,  then,  as  a  just 
but  mild  monarch,  I  shall  give  orders  that  you  and  he  be 
taken  and  first  dipped  in  tar  and  then  in  feathers,  and  you 
shall  be  executed  in  the  market  place  for  the  entertainment  of 
my  courtiers." 

And  a  smile  played  around  the  King's  lips  as  he  finished 
speaking,  and  his  courtiers  and  counselors  shook  with  laugh 
ter  when  they  thought  of  the  old  woman's  folly,  and  praised 
the  King's  wise  device  and  said  to  each  other :  "  What  a  joke 
it  will  be  when  we  see  the  pair  of  them  tarred  and  feathered ! 
The  son  is  just  as  able  to  grow  a  beard  on  the  palm  of  his 
hand  as  to  execute  such  a  task  in  twenty-four  hours." 

Now,  the  poor  old  woman  was  mortally  afraid,  and  in  a 
trembling  voice  she  asked : 

"  Is  that  really  your  royal  will.  O  King?  Must  I  take  this 
order  to  my  poor  son  ?  " 

"  Yes,  old  dame ;  such  is  my  command.  If  your  son  carries 
out  my  order  he  shall  be  rewarded  with  my  daughter;  but  if 
he  fails,  away  to  the  tar  barrel  and  the  stake  with  you  both !  " 

On  her  way  home  the  poor  old  woman  shed  bitter  tears, 
and  when  she  saw  Martin  she  told  him  what  the  King  had 
said,  and  sobbed  out : 

[419] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you,  my  son,  that  you  should  marry  some 
one  of  your  own  rank?  It  would  have  been  better  for  us 
this  day  if  you  had.  As  I  told  you,  my  going  to  court  has 
been  as  much  as  our  lives  are  worth,  and  now  we  will  both 
be  tarred  and  feathered  and  burned  in  the  public  market  place. 
It  is  terrible !  "  And  she  moaned  and  cried. 

"  Never  fear,  little  mother,"  answered  Martin.  "  Trust  me, 
and  you  will  see  all  will  be  well.  You  may  go  to  sleep  with  a 
quiet  mind." 

And  stepping  to  the  front  of  the  hut  Martin  threw  his  ring 
from  the  palm  of  one  hand  into  the  other,  upon  which  twelve 
youths  instantly  appeared  and  demanded  what  he  wanted  them 
to  do.  Then  he  told  them  the  King's  commands,  and  they 
answered  that  by  next  morning  all  should  be  accomplished 
exactly  as  the  King  had  ordered. 

Next  morning  when  the  King  awoke  and  looked  out  of  his 
window,  to  his  amazement  he  beheld  a  magnificent  castle,  just 
opposite  his  own  palace,  and  joined  to  it  by  a  bridge  of  pure 
crystal. 

At  each  side  of  the  bridge  trees  were  growing,  from  whose 
branches  hung  golden  and  silver  apples,  among  which  birds  of 
paradise  perched.  At  the  right,  gleaming  in  the  sun,  were  the 
five  golden  cupolas  of  a  splendid  church,  whose  bells  rang 
out  as  if  they  would  summon  people  from  all  corners  of  the 
earth  to  come  and  behold  the  wonder.  Now,  though  the  King 
would  much  rather  have  seen  his  future  son-in-law  tarred, 
feathered,  and  burned  at  the  stake,  he  remembered  his  royal 
oath  and  had  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  business.  So  he  took 
heart  of  grace  and  made  Martin  a  duke,  and  gave  his  daugh 
ter  a  rich  dowry,  and  prepared  the  grandest  wedding  feast 
that  had  ever  been  seen,  so  that  to  this  day  the  old  people  in 
the  country  still  talk  of  it. 

After  the  wedding  Martin  and  his  royal  bride  went  to  dwell 
in  the  magnificent  new  palace,  and  here  Martin  lived  in  the 
greatest  comfort  and  luxury,  such  luxury  as  he  had  never 
imagined.  But  though  he  was  as  happy  as  the  day  was  long 
and  as  merry  as  a  grig,  the  King's  daughter  fretted  all  day, 

[420] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

thinking  of  the  indignity  that  had  been  done  her  in  making 
her  marry  Martin,  the  poor  widow's  son,  instead  of  a  rich 
young  prince  from  a  foreign  country.  So  unhappy  was  she 
that  she  spent  all  her  time  wondering  how  she  should  get  rid 
of  her  undesirable  husband.  And  first  she  determined  to  learn 
the  secret  of  his  power,  and  with  flattering,  caressing  words 
she  tried  to  coax  him  to  tell  her  how  he  was  so  clever  that 
there  was  nothing  in  the  world  that  he  could  not  do.  At  first 
he  would  tell  her  nothing;  but  once,  when  he  was  in  a  yield 
ing  mood,  she  approached  him  with  a  winning  smile  on  her 
lovely  face,  and  speaking  flattering  words  to  him  she  gave 
him  a  potion  to  drink,  with  a  sweet,  strong  taste.  And  when 
he  had  drunk  it  Martin's  lips  were  unsealed,  and  he  told  her 
that  all  his  power  lay  in  the  magic  ring  that  he  wore  on  his 
finger,  and  he  described  to  her  how  to  use  it,  and  still  speak 
ing  he  fell  into  a  deep  sleep.  And  when  she  saw  that  the 
potion  had  worked  and  that  he  was  sound  asleep,  the  Princess 
took  the  magic  ring  from  his  finger,  and  going  into  the  court 
yard  she  threw  it  from  the  palm  of  one  hand  into  the  other. 
On  the  instant  the  twelve  youths  appeared  and  asked  her  what 
she  commanded  them  to  do.  Then  she  told  them  that  by  the 
next  morning  they  were  to  do  away  with  the  castle  and  the 
bridge  and  the  church,  and  put  in  their  stead  the  humble  hut 
in  which  Martin  used  to  live  with  his  mother,  and  that  while 
he  slept  her  husband  was  to  be  carried  to  his  old  lowly  room ; 
and  that  they  were  to  bear  her  away  to  the  utmost  ends  of 
the  earth,  where  an  old  king  lived  who  would  make  her  wel 
come  in  his  palace  and  surround  her  with  the  state  that  be 
fitted  a  royal  princess. 

"  You  shall  be  obeyed,"  answered  the  twelve  youths  at  the 
same  moment.  And  lo  and  behold !  the  following  morning 
when  the  King  woke  and  looked  out  of  his  window  he  be 
held  to  his  amazement  that  the  palace,  bridge,  church,  and 
trees  had  all  vanished,  and  there  was  nothing  in  their  place 
but  a  bare,  miserable-looking  hut. 

Immediately  the  King  sent  for  his  son-in-law  and  com 
manded  him  to  explain  what  had  happened.  But  Martin 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

looked  at  his  royal  father-in-law  and  answered  never  a  word. 
Then  the  King  was  very  angry,  and  calling  a  council  together, 
he  charged  Martin  with  having  been  guilty  of  witchcraft,  and 
of  having  deceived  the  King,  and  having  made  away  with 
the  Princess;  and  he  was  condemned  to  imprisonment  in  a 
high  stone  tower,  with  neither  meat  nor  drink,  till  he  should 
die  of  starvation. 

Then,  in  the  hour  of  his  dire  necessity,  his  old  friends 
Schurka  (the  dog)  and  Waska  (the  cat)  remembered  how 
Martin  had  once  saved  them  from  a  cruel  death;  and  they 
took  counsel  together  as  to  how  they  should  help  him.  And 
Schurka  growled  and  was  of  opinion  that  he  would  like  to 
tear  everyone  in  pieces ;  but  Waska  purred  meditatively, 
scratched  the  back  of  her  ear  with  a  velvet  paw,  and  remained 
lost  in  thought.  At  the  end  of  a  few  minutes  she  had  made 
up  her  mind,  and  turning  to  Schurka,  said :  "  Let  us  go  to 
gether  into  the  town,  and  the  moment  we  meet  a  baker  you 
must  make  a  rush  between  his  legs  and  upset  the  tray  from 
off  his  head.  I  will  lay  hold  of  the  rolls  and  will  carry  them 
off  to  our  master."  No  sooner  said  than  done.  Together 
the  two  faithful  creatures  trotted  off  into  the  town,  and  very 
soon  they  met  a  baker  bearing  a  tray  on  his  head  and  looking 
around  on  all  sides  while  he  cried : 

"  Fresh  rolls,  sweet  cake, 

Fancy  bread  of  every  kind, 
Come  and  buy,  come  and  take, 
Sure  you'll  find  it  to  your  mind." 

At  that  moment  Schurka  made  a  rush  between  his  legs — 
the  baker  stumbled,  the  tray  was  upset,  the  rolls  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  while  the  man  angrily  pursued  Schurka,  Waska 
managed  to  drag  the  rolls  out  of  sight  behind  a  bush.  And 
when  a  moment  later  Schurka  joined  her,  they  set  off  at  full 
tilt  to  the  stone  tower  where  Martin  was  a  prisoner,  taking 
the  rolls  with  them.  Waska,  being  very  agile,  climbed  up  by 
the  outside  to  the  grated  window  and  called  in  an  anxious 
voice : 

[422] 


THE    FAIRT   RING 

"  Are  you  alive,  master  ?  " 

"  Scarcely  alive — almost  starved  to  death,"  answered  Mar 
tin  in  a  weak  voice.  "  I  little  thought  it  would  come  to  this, 
that  I  should  die  of  hunger." 

"  Never  fear,  dear  master.  Schurka  and  I  will  look  after 
you,"  said  Waska.  And  in  another  moment  she  had  climbed 
down  and  brought  him  back  a  roll,  and  then  another  and 
another  till  she  had  brought  him  the  whole  tray  load.  Upon 
which  she  said :  "  Dear  master,  Schurka  and  I  are  going  off 
to  a  distant  kingdom  at  the  utmost  ends  of  the  earth  to  fetch 
you  back  your  magic  ring.  You  must  be  careful  that  the  rolls 
last  till  our  return." 

And  Waska  took  leave  of  her  beloved  master  and  set  off 
with  Schurka  on  their  journey.  On  and  on  they  traveled, 
looking  always  to  right  and  left  for  traces  of  the  Princess, 
following  up  every  track,  making  inquiries  of  every  cat  and 
dog  they  met,  listening  to  the  talk  of  every  wayfarer  they 
passed ;  and  at  last  they  heard  that  the  kingdom  at  the  utmost 
ends  of  the  earth,  where  the  twelve  youths  had  borne  the 
Princess,  was  not  very  far  off.  And  one  day  they  reached 
that  distant  kingdom,  and  going  at  once  to  the  palace  they 
began  to  make  friends  with  all  the  dogs  and  cats  in  the  place 
and  to  question  them  about  the  Princess  and  the  magic  ring ; 
but  no  one  could  tell  them  much  about  either.  Now,  one  day 
it  chanced  that  Waska  had  gone  down  to  the  palace  cellar  to 
hunt  for  mice  and  rats,  and  seeing  an  especially  fat,  well-fed 
mouse,  she  pounced  upon  it,  buried  her  claws  in  its  soft  fur, 
and  was  just  going  to  gobble  it  up  when  she  was  stopped 
by  the  pleading  tones  of  the  little  creature,  saying:  "If 
you  will  only  spare  my  life  I  will  be  of  great  service  to  you. 
I  will  do  everything  in  my  power  for  you ;  for  I  am  the 
king  of  the  mice,  and  if  I  perish  the  whole  race  will  die 
out." 

"  So  be  it,"  said  Waska.  "  I  will  spare  your  life,  but  in 
return  you  must  do  something  for  me.  In  this  castle  there 
lives  a  princess,  the  wicked  wife  of  my  dear  master.  She  has 
stolen  away  his  magic  ring.  You  must  get  it  away  from  her  at 

[423] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

whatever  cost.  Do  you  hear?  Till  you  have  done  this  I 
won't  take  my  claws  out  of  your  fur." 

"  Good !  "  replied  the  mouse.  "  I  will  do  what  you  ask." 
And  so  saying  he  summoned  all  the  mice  in  his  kingdom  to 
gether.  A  countless  number  of  mice,  small  and  big,  brown 
and  gray,  assembled  and  formed  a  circle  around  their  king, 
who  was  a  prisoner  under  Waska's  claws.  Turning  to  them 
he  said:  "Dear  and  faithful  subjects,  whoever  among  you 
will  steal  the  magic  ring  from  the  strange  Princess  will  release 
me  from  a  cruel  death,  and  I  shall  honor  him  above  all  the 
other  mice  in  the  kingdom." 

Instantly  a  tiny  mouse  stepped  forward  and  said :  "  I  often 
creep  about  the  Princess's  bedroom  at  night,  and  I  have  no 
ticed  that  she  has  a  ring  which  she  treasures  as  the  apple  of 
her  eye.  All  day  she  wears  it  on  her  finger,  and  at  night 
she  keeps  it  in  her  mouth.  I  will  undertake,  sire,  to  steal  away 
the  ring  for  you." 

And  the  tiny  mouse  tripped  away  into  the  bedroom  of  the 
Princess  and  waited  for  nightfall ;  then,  when  the  Princess  had 
fallen  asleep,  it  crept  up  on  to  her  bed  and  gnawed  a  hole  in 
the  pillow,  through  which  it  dragged,  one  by  one,  little  down 
feathers  and  threw  them  under  the  Princess's  nose.  And  the 
fluff  flew  into  the  Princess's  nose  and  into  her  mouth,  and 
starting  up  she  sneezed  and  coughed,  and  the  ring  fell  out 
of  her  mouth  on  to  the  coverlet.  In  a  flash  the  tiny  mouse  had 
seized  it  and  brought  it  to  Waska  as  a  ransom  for  the  king 
of  the  mice.  Thereupon  Waska  and  Schurka  started  off  and 
traveled  night  and  day  till  they  reached  the  stone  tower  where 
Martin  was  imprisoned;  and  the  cat  climbed  up  the  window 
and  called  out  to  him : 

"  Martin,  dear  master,  are  you  still  alive  ?  " 

"Ah!  Waska,  my  faithful  little  cat,  is  that  you?"  replied 
a  weak  voice.  "  I  am  dying  of  hunger.  For  three  days  I 
have  not  tasted  food." 

"  Be  of  good  heart,  dear  master,"  replied  Waska.  "  From 
this  day  forth,  you  will  know  nothing  but  happiness  and 
prosperity.  If  this  were  a  moment  to  trouble  you  with  riddles, 

[424] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

I  would  make  you  guess  what  Schurka  and  I  have  brought 
you  back.  Only  think,  we  have  found  you  your  ring!  " 

At  these  words  Martin's  joy  knew  no  bounds,  and  he  stroked 
her  fondly  and  she  rubbed  up  against  him  and  purred  happily, 
while  below  Schurka  bounded  in  the  air  and  barked  joyfully. 
Then  Martin  took  the  ring  and  threw  it  from  one  hand  into  the 
other,  and  instantly  the  twelve  youths  appeared  and  asked 
what  they  were  to  do. 

"  Fetch  me  first  something  to  eat  and  drink  as  quickly  as 
possible ;  and  after  that  bring  musicians  hither  and  let  us  have 
music  all  day  long." 

Now,  when  the  people  in  the  town  and  palace  heard  music 
coming  from  the  tower  they  were  filled  with  amazement,  and 
came  to  the  King  with  the  news  that  witchcraft  must  be  going 
on  in  Martin's  tower,  for  instead  of  dying  of  starvation  he 
was  seemingly  making  merry  to  the  sound  of  music  and  to 
the  clatter  of  plates  and  glass  and  knives  and  forks;  and  the 
music  was  so  enchantingly  sweet  that  all  the  passers-by  stood 
still  to  listen  to  it.  On  this  the  King  sent  at  once  a  messenger 
to  Starvation  Tower,  and  he  was  so  astonished  with  what  he 
saw  that  he  remained  rooted  to  the  spot.  Then  the  King  sent 
his  chief  counselors,  and  they  too  were  transfixed  with  wonder. 
At  last  the  King  came  himself,  and  he  likewise  was  spell 
bound  by  the  beauty  of  the  music. 

Then  Martin  summoned  the  twelve  youths  and  said  to 
them:  "Build  up  my  castle  again  and  join  it  to  the  King's 
palace  with  a  crystal  bridge.  Do  not  forget  the  trees  with 
the  golden  and  silver  apples  and  with  the  birds  of  paradise  in 
the  branches,  and  put  back  the  church  with  the  five  cupolas, 
and  let  the  bells  ring  out,  summoning  the  people  from  the  four 
corners  of  the  kingdom.  And  one  thing  more — bring  back 
my  faithless  wife  and  lead  her  into  the  women's  chamber." 

And  it  was  all  done  as  he  commanded,  and  leaving  Starva 
tion  Tower  he  took  the  King,  his  father-in-law,  by  the  arm 
and  led  him  into  the  new  palace,  where  the  Princess  sat  in 
fear  and  trembling  awaiting  her  death.  And  Martin  spoke  to 
the  King,  saying :  "  King  and  royal  father,  I  have  suffered 

[425] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

much  at  the  hands  of  your  daughter.  What  punishment  shall 
be  dealt  to  her?" 

Then  the  mild  King  answered :  "  Beloved  Prince  and  son-in- 
law,  if  you  love  me,  let  your  anger  be  turned  to  grace — forgive 
my  daughter  and  restore  her  to  your  heart  and  favor." 

And  Martin's  heart  was  softened  and  he  forgave  his  wife, 
and  they  lived  happily  together  ever  after.  And  his  old 
mother  came  and  lived  with  them,  and  he  never  parted  with 
Schurka  and  Waska ;  and  I  need  hardly  tell  you  that  he  never 
again  let  the  ring  out  of  his  possession. 


Tit  for   Tat 


rHERE  once  lived  a  camel  and  a  jackal  who  were 
great  friends.  One  day  the  Jackal  said  to  the  Camel : 
"  I  know  that  there  is  a  fine  field  of  sugar  cane  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river.  If  you  will  take  me  across,  I'll 
show  you  the  place.  This  plan  will  suit  me  as  well  as  you. 
You  will  enjoy  eating  the  sugar  cane,  and  I  am  sure  to  find 
many  crabs,  bones,  and  bits  of  fish  by  the  riverside,  on  which 
to  make  a  good  dinner." 

The  Camel  consented  and  swam  across  the  river,  taking  the 
Jackal,  who  could  not  swim,  on  his  back.  When  they  reached 
the  other  side,  the  Camel  went  to  eating  the  sugar  cane,  and 
the  Jackal  ran  up  and  down  the  river  bank  devouring  all  the 
crabs,  bits  of  fish,  and  bones  he  could  find. 

But  being  so  much  smaller  an  animal,  he  had  made  an  ex 
cellent  meal  before  the  Camel  had  eaten  more  than  two  or 
three  mouthfuls ;  and  no  sooner  had  he  finished  his  dinner  than 
he  ran  round  and  round  the  sugar-cane  field,  yelping  and 
howling  with  all  his  might. 

The  villagers  heard  him,  and  thought:  "There  is  a  jackal 
among  the  sugar  canes;  he  will  be  scratching  holes  in  the 
ground  and  spoiling  the  roots  of  the  plants."  And  they  all 
went  down  to  the  place  to  drive  him  away.  But  when  they  got 
there  they  found  to  their  surprise  not  only  a  jackal,  but  a  camel 

[426] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

who  was  eating  the  sugar  canes !  This  made  them  very  angry, 
and  they  caught  the  poor  Camel  and  drove  him  from  the  field 
and  beat  and  beat  him  until  he  was  nearly  dead. 

When  they  had  gone,  the  Jackal  said  to  the  Camel,  "  We 
had  better  go  home."  And  the  Camel  said :  "  Very  well ;  then 
jump  upon  my  back  as  you  did  before." 

So  the  Jackal  jumped  upon  the  Camel's  back,  and  the  Camel 
began  to  recross  the  river.  When  they  had  got  well  into  the 
water  the  Camel  said :  "  This  is  a  pretty  way  in  which  you 
have  treated  me,  friend  Jackal.  No  sooner  had  you  finished 
your  own  dinner  than  you  must  go  yelping  about  the  place 
loud  enough  to  arouse  the  whole  village,  and  bring  all  the 
villagers  down  to  beat  me  black  and  blue,  and  turn  me  out  of 
the  field  before  I  had  eaten  two  mouthfuls!  What  in  the 
world  did  you  make  such  a  noise  for?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  Jackal.  "  It  is  a  habit  I  have. 
I  always  like  to  sing  a  little  after  dinner." 

The  Camel  waded  on  through  the  river.  The  water  reached 
up  to  his  knees — then  above  them — up,  up,  up,  higher  and 
higher,  until  he  was  obliged  to  swim.  Then  turning  to  the 
Jackal  he  said,  "  I  feel  very  anxious  to  roll."  "  Oh,  pray 
don't ;  why  do  you  wish  to  do  so  ?  "  asked  the  Jackal.  "  I  don't 
know,"  answered  the  Camel.  "  It  is  a  habit  I  have.  I  al 
ways  like  to  have  a  little  roll  after  dinner."  So  saying,  he 
rolled  over  in  the  water,  shaking  the  Jackal  off  as  he  did  so. 
And  the  Jackal  was  drowned,  but  the  Camel  swam  safely 
ashore. 

The    Brahman,    the    Tiger,    a7id    the    Six 

mes 


Judgi 


NCE  upon  a  time  a  Brahman,  who  was  walking  along 
the  road,  came  upon  an  iron  cage,  in  which  a  great  ti- 
ger  had  been  shut  up  by  the  villagers  who  caught  him. 
As  the  Brahman  passed  by,  the  Tiger  called  out  and  said  to 
him :  "  Brother  Brahman,  brother  Brahman,  have  pity  on  me, 

[427] 


THE   FAIRY  RING 

and  let  me  out  of  this  cage  for  one  minute  only  to  drink  a 
little  water,  for  I  am  dying  of  thirst."  The  Brahman  an 
swered  :  "  No,  I  will  not ;  for  if  I  let  you  out  of  the  cage  you 
will  eat  me." 

"  Oh,  father  of  mercy,"  answered  the  Tiger,  "  in  truth  that 
I  will  not.  I  will  never  be  so  ungrateful;  only  let  me  out, 
that  I  may  drink  some  water  and  return."  Then  the  Brahman 
took  pity  on  him  and  opened  the  cage  door;  but  no  sooner 
had  he  done  so  than  the  Tiger,  jumping  out,  said:  "  Now,  I 
will  eat  you  first  and  drink  the  water  afterwards."  But  the 
Brahman  said :  "  Only  do  not  kill  me  hastily.  Let  us  first  ask 
the  opinion  of  six,  and  if  all  of  them  say  it  is  just  and  fair 
that  you  should  put  me  to  death,  then  I  am  willing  to  die." 

"  Very  well,"  answered  the  Tiger,  "  it  shall  be  as  you  say ; 
we  will  first  ask  the  opinion  of  six." 

So  the  Brahman  and  the  Tiger  walked  on  till  they  came  to 
a  Banyan  tree ;  and  the  Brahman  said  to  it :  "  Banyan  Tree, 
Banyan  Tree,  hear  and  give  judgment."  "  On  what  must  I 
give  judgment?  "  asked  the  Banyan  Tree.  "  This  Tiger,"  said 
the  Brahman,  "  begged  me  to  let  him  out  of  his  cage  to  drink  a 
little  water,  and  he  promised  not  to  hurt  me  if  I  did  so;  but 
now,  that  I  have  let  him  out,  he  wishes  to  eat  me.  Is  it  just 
that  he  should  do  so  or  no  ?  " 

The  Banyan  Tree  answered :  "  Men  often  come  to  take  shel 
ter  in  the  cool  shade  under  my  boughs  from  the  scorching  rays 
of  the  sun ;  but  when  they  have  rested,  they  cut  and  break  my 
pretty  branches  and  wantonly  scatter  my  leaves.  Let  the 
Tiger  eat  the  man,  for  men  are  an  ungrateful  race." 

At  these  words  the  Tiger  would  have  instantly  killed  the 
Brahman,  but  the  Brahman  said :  "  Tiger,  Tiger,  you  must  not 
kill  me  yet,  for  you  promised  that  we  should  first  hear  the 
judgment  of  six."  "  Very  well,"  said  the  Tiger,  and  they 
went  on  their  way.  After  a  little  while  they  met  a  camel. 
"  Sir  Camel,  Sir  Camel,"  cried  the  Brahman,  "  hear  and  give 
judgment."  "On  what  shall  I  give  judgment?"  asked  the 
Camel.  And  the  Brahman  related  how  the  Tiger  had  begged 
him  to  open  the  cage  door,  and  promised  not  to  eat  him  if  he 

[428] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

did  so;  and  how  he  had  afterwards  determined  to  break  his 
word,  and  asked  if  that  were  just  or  not.  The  Camel  re 
plied  :  "  When  I  was  young  and  strong,  and  could  do  much 
work,  my  master  took  care  of  me  and  gave  me  good  food ;  but 
now  that  I  am  old,  and  have  lost  all  my  strength  in  his  service, 
he  overloads  me  and  starves  me  and  beats  me  without  mercy. 
Let  the  Tiger  eat  the  man,  for  men  are  an  unjust  and  cruel 


race. 


The  Tiger  would  then  have  killed  the  Brahman,  but  the 
latter  said:  "  Stop,  Tiger,  for  we  must  first  hear  the  judgment 
of  six." 

So  they  both  went  again  on  their  way.  At  a  little  distance 
they  found  a  bullock  lying  by  the  roadside.  The  Brahman 
said  to  him:  "  Brother  Bullock,  brother  Bullock,  hear  and 
give  judgment."  "On  what  must  I  give  judgment?"  asked 
the  Bullock.  The  Brahman  answered :  "  I  found  this  Tiger  in 
a  cage,  and  he  prayed  me  to  open  the  door  and  let  him  out 
to  drink  a  little  water,  and  promised  not  to  kill  me  if  I  did 
so ;  but  when  I  had  let  him  out  he  resolved  to  put  me  to  death. 
Is  it  fair  that  he  should  do  so  or  not?"  The  Bullock  said: 
"  When  I  was  able  to  work  my  master  fed  me  well  and  tended 
me  carefully,  but  now  I  am  old  he  has  forgotten  all  I  did  for 
him,  and  left  me  by  the  roadside  to  die.  Let  the  Tiger  eat  the 
man,  for  men  have  no  pity." 

Three  out  of  the  six  had  given  judgment  against  the 
Brahman,  but  still  he  did  not  lose  all  hope  and  determined  to 
ask  the  other  three. 

They  next  met  an  eagle  flying  through  the  air,  to  whom  the 
Brahman  cried,  "  O  Eagle,  great  Eagle,  hear  and  give  judg 
ment."  "  On  what  must  I  give  judgment?  "  asked  the  Eagle. 
The  Brahman  stated  the  case,  and  the  Eagle  answered: 
"  Whenever  men  see  me  they  try  to  shoot  me ;  they  climb  the 
rocks  and  steal  away  my  little  ones.  Let  the  Tiger  eat  the 
man,  for  men  are  the  persecutors  of  the  earth." 

Then  the  Tiger  began  to  roar  and  said:  "  The  judgment  of 
all  is  against  you,  O  Brahman !  "  But  the  Brahman  answered : 
"  Stay  yet  a  little  longer,  for  two  others  must  first  be  asked." 

[429] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

After  this  they  saw  an  alligator,  and  the  Brahman  related 
the  matter  to  him,  hoping  for  a  more  favorable  verdict.  But 
the  Alligator  said :  "  Whenever  I  put  my  nose  out  of  the  water 
men  torment  me  and  try  to  kill  me.  Let  the  Tiger  eat  the 
man,  for  as  long  as  men  live  we  shall  have  no  rest." 

The  Brahman  gave  himself  up  as  lost ;  but  again  he  prayed 
the  Tiger  to  have  patience  and  let  him  ask  the  opinion  of  the 
sixth  judge.  Now  the  sixth  was  a  jackal.  The  Brahman 
told  his  story,  and  said  to  him :  "  Uncle  Jackal,  Uncle  Jackal, 
say  what  is  your  judgment?"  The  Jackal  answered:  "It  is 
impossible  for  me  to  decide  who  is  in  the  right  and  who  in 
the  wrong  unless  I  see  the  exact  position  in  which  you  were 
when  the  dispute  began.  Show  me  the  place."  So  the 
Brahman  and  the  Tiger  returned  to  the  place  where  they  first 
met,  and  the  Jackal  went  with  them.  When  they  got  there, 
the  Jackal  said :  "  Now  Brahman,  show  me  exactly  where  you 
stood."  "  Here,"  said  the  Brahman,  standing  by  the  iron  tiger 
cage.  "  Exactly  there,  was  it?  "  asked  the  Jackal.  "  Exactly 
here,"  replied  the  Brahman.  "  Where  was  the  Tiger,  then  ?  " 
asked  the  Jackal.  "  In  the  cage,"  answered  the  Tiger. 
"  How  do  you  mean  ?  "  said  the  Jackal ;  "  how  were  you  within 
the  cage  ?  which  way  were  you  looking  ? "  "  Why,  I  stood 
so,"  said  the  Tiger,  jumping  into  the  cage,  "  and  my  head  was 
on  this  side."  "  Very  good,"  said  the  Jackal,  "  but  I  cannot 
judge  without  understanding  the  whole  matter  exactly.  Was 
the  cage  door  open  or  shut  ?  "  "  Shut  and  bolted,"  said  the 
Brahman.  "  Then  shut  and  bolt  it,"  said  the  Jackal. 

When  the  Brahman  had  done  this,  the  Jackal  said:  "Oh, 
you  wicked  and  ungrateful  Tiger!  when  the  good  Brahman 
opened  your  cage  door,  is  to  eat  him  the  only  return  you 
would  make  ?  Stay  there,  then,  for  the  rest  of  your  days,  for 
no  one  will  ever  let  you  out  again.  Proceed  on  your  journey, 
friend  Brahman.  Your  road  lies  that  way  and  mine  this." 

So  saying,  the  Jackal  ran  off  in  one  direction,  and  the 
Brahman  went  rejoicing  on  his  way  in  the  other. 


[430] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

Muchie    Lai 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  were  a  rajah  and  ranee  who  had 
no  children.  Long  had  they  wished  and  prayed  that 
the  gods  would  send  them  a  son,  but  it  was  all  in  vain 
— their  prayers  were  not  granted.  One  day  a  number  of  fish 
were  brought  into  the  royal  kitchen  to  be  cooked  for  the 
Rajah's  dinner,  and  among  them  was  one  little  fish  that  was 
not  dead,  though  all  the  rest  were  dead.  One  of  the  palace 
maid  servants  seeing  this,  took  the  little  fish  and  put  him  in 
a  basin  of  water.  Shortly  afterwards  the  Ranee  saw  him, 
and,  thinking  him  very  pretty,  kept  him  as  a  pet ;  and  because 
she  had  no  children  she  lavished  all  her  affection  on  the  fish 
and  loved  him  as  a  son;  and  the  people  called  him  Muchie 
Rajah  (the  Fish  Prince).  In  a  little  while  Muchie  Rajah 
had  grown  too  long  to  live  in  the  small  basin,  so  they  put 
him  in  a  larger  one,  and  then  when  he  grew  too  long  for  that, 
into  a  big  tub.  In  time,  however,  Muchie  Rajah  became 
too  large  for  even  the  big  tub  to  hold  him,  so  the  Ranee  had 
a  tank  made  for  him  in  which  he  lived  very  happily ;  and  twice 
a  day  she  fed  him  with  boiled  rice.  Now,  though  the  people 
fancied  Muchie  Rajah  was  only  a  fish,  this  was  not  the  case. 
He  was,  in  truth,  a  young  rajah  who  had  angered  the  gods, 
and  been  turned  by  them  into  a  fish  and  thrown  into  the  river 
as  a  punishment. 

One  morning,  when  the  Ranee  brought  him  his  daily  meal 
of  boiled  rice,  Muchie  Rajah  called  out  to  her  and  said: 
"  Queen  Mother,  Queen  Mother,  I  am  so  lonely  here  all  by 
myself !  Cannot  you  get  me  a  wife  ?  "  The  Ranee  promised 
to  try,  and  sent  messengers  to  all  the  people  she  knew  to  ask 
if  they  would  allow  one  of  their  children  to  marry  her  son, 
the  Fish  Prince.  But  they  all  answered :  "  We  cannot  give 
one  of  our  dear  little  daughters  to  be  devoured  by  a  great 
fish,  even  though  he  is  the  Muchie  Rajah  and  so  high  in  your 
majesty's  favor." 

At  news  of  this  the  Ranee  did  not  know  what  to  do.     She 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

was  so  foolishly  fond  of  Muchie  Rajah,  however,  that  she 
resolved  to  get  him  a  wife  at  any  cost.  Again  she  sent  out 
messengers,  but  this  time  she  gave  them  a  great  bag  contain 
ing  a  lac  of  gold  mohurs,*  and  said  to  them :  "  Go  into  every 
land  until  you  find  a  wife  for  my  Muchie  Rajah,  and  to  who 
ever  will  give  you  a  child  to  be  the  Muchie  Ranee  you  shall 
give  this  bag  of  gold  mohurs."  The  messengers  started  on 
their  search,  but  for  some  time  they  were  unsuccessful.  Not 
even  the  beggars  were  to  be  tempted  to  sell  their  children, 
fearing  the  great  fish  would  devour  them.  At  last  one  day 
the  messengers  came  to  a  village  where  there  lived  a  fakir, 
who  had  lost  his  first  wife  and  married  again.  His  first  wife 
had  had  one  little  daughter,  and  his  second  wife  also  had  a 
daughter.  As  it  happened,  the  Fakir's  second  wife  hated 
her  little  stepdaughter,  always  gave  her  the  hardest  work  to 
do  and  the  least  food  to  eat,  and  tried  by  every  means  in  her 
power  to  get  her  out  of  the  way  in  order  that  the  child  might 
not  rival  her  own  daughter.  When  she  heard  of  the  errand 
on  which  the  messengers  had  come,  she  sent  for  them  when 
the  Fakir  was  out,  and  said  to  them :  "  Give  me  the  bag  of 
gold  mohurs,  and  you  shall  take  my  little  daughter  to  marry 
the  Muchie  Rajah."  ("For,"  she  thought  to  herself,  "the 
great  fish  will  certainly  eat  the  girl,  and  she  will  thus  trouble 
us  no  more.")  Then,  turning  to  her  stepdaughter,  she  said: 
"  Go  down  to  the  river  and  wash  your  saree,  that  you  may 
be  fit  to  go  with  these  people,  who  will  take  you  to  the 
Ranee's  court."  At  these  words  the  poor  girl  went  down  to 
the  river  very  sorrowful,  for  she  saw  no  hope  of  escape,  as 
her  father  was  from  home.  As  she  knelt  by  the  riverside, 
washing  her  saree  and  crying  bitterly,  some  of  her  tears  fell 
into  the  hole  of  an  old  seven-headed  cobra,  who  lived  on 
the  river  bank.  This  Cobra  was  a  very  wise  animal,  and  see 
ing  the  maiden,  he  put  his  head  out  of  his  hole  and  said  to 
her,  "  Little  girl,  why  do  you  cry  ?  "  "  Oh,  sir,"  she  answered, 
"  I  am  very  unhappy,  for  my  father  is  from  home,  and  my 
stepmother  has  sold  me  to  the  Ranee's  people  to  be  the  wife 
*  A  lac  of  gold  mohurs  is  equal  to  about  $750,000. 

[432] 


THE  FAIRY   RING 

of  the  Muchie  Rajah,  that  great  fish,  and  I  know  he  will  eat 
me  up."  "  Do  not  be  afraid,  my  daughter,"  said  the  Cobra ; 
"  but  take  with  you  these  three  stones  and  tie  them  up  in  the 
corner  of  your  saree  " ;  and  so  saying  he  gave  her  three  little 
round  pebbles.  "  The  Muchie  Rajah,  whose  wife  you  are  to 
be,  is  not  really  a  fish,  but  a  rajah  who  has  been  enchanted. 
Your  home  will  be  a  little  room  which  the  Ranee  has  had 
built  in  the  tank  wall.  When  you  are  taken  there,  wait  and 
be  sure  you  don't  go  to  sleep  or  the  Muchie  Rajah  will  cer 
tainly  come  and  eat  you  up.  But  as  you  hear  him  coming 
rushing  through  the  water,  be  prepared,  and  as  soon  as  you 
see  him  throw  this  first  stone  at  him ;  he  will  then  sink  to  the 
bottom  of  the  tank.  The  second  time  he  comes,  throw  the 
second  stone,  when  the  same  thing  will  happen.  The  third 
time  he  comes,  throw  this  third  stone,  and  he  will  immedi 
ately  resume  his  human  shape."  So  saying,  the  old  Cobra 
dived  down  again  into  his  hole.  The  Fakir's  daughter  took 
the  stones  and  determined  to  do  as  the  Cobra  had  told 
her,  though  she  hardly  believed  it  would  have  the  desired 
effect. 

When  she  reached  the  palace  the  Ranee  spoke  kindly  to  her, 
and  said  to  the  messengers :  "  You  have  done  your  errand 
well ;  this  is  a  dear  little  girl."  Then  she  ordered  that  she 
should  be  let  down  the  side  of  the  tank  in  a  basket  to  a  little 
room  which  had  been  prepared  for  her.  When  the  Fakir's 
daughter  got  there,  she  thought  she  had  never  seen  such  a 
pretty  place  in  her  life,  for  the  Ranee  had  caused  the  little 
room  to  be  very  nicely  decorated  for  the  wife  of  her  favorite ; 
and  she  would  have  felt  very  happy  away  from  her  cruel 
stepmother  and  all  the  hard  work  she  had  been  made  to  do, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  dark  water  that  lay  black  and  un 
fathomable  below  the  door,  and  the  fear  of  the  terrible  Muchie 
Rajah. 

After  waiting  some  time  she  heard  a  rushing  sound,  and 
little  waves  came  dashing  against  the  threshold;  faster  they 
came  and  faster,  and  the  noise  got  louder  and  louder,  until 
she  saw  a  great  fish's  head  above  the  water — Muchie  Rajah 

[433] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

was  coming  toward  her  open-mouthed.  The  Fakir's  daugh 
ter  seized  one  of  the  stones  that  the  Cobra  had  given  her  and 
threw  it  at  him,  and  down  he  sank  to  the  bottom  of  the  tank; 
a  second  time  he  rose  and  came  toward  her,  and  she  threw  the 
second  stone  at  him,  and  he  again  sank  down ;  a  third  time  he 
came  more  fiercely  than  before,  when,  seizing  the  third  stone, 
she  threw  it  with  all  her  force.  No  sooner  did  it  touch 
him  than  the  spell  was  broken,  and  there,  instead  of  a  fish, 
stood  a  handsome  young  prince.  The  poor  little  Fakir's 
daughter  was  so  startled  that  she  began  to  cry.  But  the 
Prince  said  to  her :  "  Pretty  maiden,  do  not  be  frightened. 
You  have  rescued  me  from  a  horrible  thraldom,  and  I  can 
never  thank  you  enough ;  but  if  you  will  be  the  Muchie  Ranee, 
we  will  be  married  to-morrow."  Then  he  sat  down  on  the 
doorstep,  thinking  over  his  strange  fate  and  watching  for  the 
dawn. 

Next  morning  early  several  inquisitive  people  came  to  see 
if  the  Muchie  Rajah  had  eaten  up  his  poor  little  wife,  as  they 
feared  he  would;  what  was  their  astonishment,  on  looking 
over  the  tank  wall,  to  see,  not  the  Muchie  Rajah,  but  a  mag 
nificent  prince!  The  news  soon  spread  to  the  palace.  Down 
came  the  Rajah,  down  came  the  Ranee,  down  came  all  their 
attendants  and  dragged  Muchie  Rajah  and  the  Fakir's 
daughter  up  the  side  of  the  tank  in  a  basket;  and  when  they 
heard  their  story  there  were  great  and  unparalleled  rejoic 
ings.  The  Ranee  said :  "  So  I  have  indeed  found  a  son  at 
last !  "  And  the  people  were  so  delighted,  so  happy  and  so 
proud  of  the  new  Prince  and  Princess  that  they  covered  all 
their  path  with  damask  from  the  tank  to  the  palace,  and  cried 
to  their  fellows :  "  Come  and  see  our  new  Prince  and  Prin 
cess.  Were  ever  any  so  divinely  beautiful  ?  Come  see  a  right 
royal  couple — a  pair  of  mortals  like  the  gods !  "  And  when 
they  reached  the  palace  the  Prince  was  married  to  the  Fakir's 
daughter. 

There  they  lived  very  happily  for  some  time.  The  Muchie 
Ranee's  stepmother,  hearing  what  had  happened,  came  often 
to  see  her  stepdaughter,  and  pretended  to  be  delighted  at  her 

[434] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

good  fortune ;  and  the  Ranee  was  so  good  that  she  quite 
forgave  all  her  stepmother's  former  cruelty,  and  always  re 
ceived  her  very  kindly.  At  last,  one  day,  the  Muchie  Ranee 
said  to  her  husband :  "  It  is  a  weary  while  since  I  saw  my 
father.  If  you  will  give  me  leave,  I  should  much  like  to  visit 
my  native  village  and  see  him  again."  "  Very  well,"  he  re 
plied,  "  you  may  go.  But  do  not  stay  away  long,  for  there 
can  be  no  happiness  for  me  till  you  return."  So  she  went, 
and  her  father  was  delighted  to  see  her;  but  her  stepmother, 
though  she  pretended  to  be  very  kind,  was,  in  reality,  only 
glad  to  think  she  had  got  the  Ranee  into  her  power,  and  de 
termined,  if  possible,  never  to  allow  her  to  return  to  the  pal 
ace  again.  One  day  therefore  she  said  to  her  own  daughter: 
"  It  is  hard  that  your  stepsister  should  have  become  Ranee 
of  all  the  land  instead  of  being  eaten  up  by  the  great  fish, 
while  we  gained  no  more  than  a  lac  of  gold  mohurs.  Do 
now  as  I  bid  you,  that  you  may  become  ranee  in  her  stead." 
She  then  went  on  to  instruct  her  how  she  must  invite  the 
Ranee  down  to  the  river  bank,  and  there  beg  her  to  let  her 
try  on  her  jewels,  and  while  putting  them  on  give  her  a  push 
and  drown  her  in  the  river. 

The  girl  consented,  and  standing  by  the  river  bank,  said 
to  her  stepsister:  "Sister,  may  I  try  on  your  jewels?  How 
pretty  they  are !  "  "  Yes,"  said  the  Ranee,  "  and  we  shall  be 
able  to  see  in  the  river  how  they  look."  So,  undoing  her 
necklaces,  she  clasped  them  around  the  other's  neck.  But 
while  she  was  doing  so  her  stepsister  gave  her  a  push,  and 
she  fell  backward  into  the  water.  The  girl  watched  to  see 
that  the  body  did  not  rise,  and  then,  running  back,  said  to  her 
mother:  "  Mother,  here  are  all  the  jewels,  and  she  will  trouble 
us  no  more."  But  it  happened  that  just  when  her  stepsister 
pushed  the  Ranee  into  the  river  her  old  friend  the  Seven- 
headed  Cobra  chanced  to  be  swimming  across  it,  and  seeing 
the  little  Ranee  likely  to  be  drowned,  he  carried  her  on  his  back 
until  they  reached  his  hole,  into  which  he  took  her  safely. 
Now  this  hole,  in  which  the  Cobra  and  his  wife  and  all  his 
little  ones  lived  had  two  entrances — the  one  under  the  water 

[435] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

and  leading  to  the  river,  and  the  other  above  water,  leading 
out  into  the  open  fields.  To  this  upper  end  of  his  hole  the 
Cobra  took  the  Muchie  Ranee,  where  he  and  his  wife  took 
care  of  her;  and  there  she  lived  with  them  for  some  time. 
Meanwhile,  the  wicked  Fakir's  wife,  having  dressed  up  her 
own  daughter  in  all  the  Ranee's  jewels,  took  her  to  the  palace, 
and  said  to  the  Muchie  Rajah :  "  See,  I  have  brought  your 
wife,  my  dear  daughter,  back  safe  and  well."  The  Rajah 
looked  at  her,  and  thought,  "  This  does  not  look  like  my 
wife."  However,  the  room  was  dark  and  the  girl  was  clev 
erly  disguised,  and  he  thought  he  might  be  mistaken.  Next 
day  he  said  again :  "  My  wife  must  be  sadly  changed  or  this 
cannot  be  she,  for  she  was  always  bright  and  cheerful.  She 
had  pretty  loving  ways  and  merry  words,  while  this  woman 
never  opens  her  lips."  Still,  he  did  not  like  to  seem  to  mis 
trust  his  wife,  and  comforted  himself  by  saying,  "  Perhaps 
she  is  tired  with  the  long  journey."  On  the  third  day,  how 
ever,  he  could  bear  the  uncertainty  no  longer,  and  tearing  off 
her  jewels  saw,  not  the  face  of  his  own  little  wife,  but  another 
woman.  Then  he  was  very  angry  and  turned  her  out  of  doors, 
saying :  "  Begone !  since  you  are  but  the  wretched  tool  of 
others,  I  spare  your  life."  But  of  the  Fakir's  wife  he  said 
to  his  guards :  "  Fetch  that  woman  here  instantly,  for  unless 
she  can  tell  me  where  my  wife  is,  I  will  have  her  hanged." 
It  chanced,  however,  that  the  Fakir's  wife  had  heard  of  the 
Muchie  Rajah  having  turned  her  daughter  out  of  doors;  so, 
fearing  his  anger,  she  hid  herself,  and  was  not  to  be  found. 
Meantime,  the  Muchie  Ranee,  not  knowing  how  to  get 
home,  continued  to  live  in  the  great  Seven-headed  Cobra's 
hole,  and  he  and  his  wife  and  all  his  family  were  very  kind 
to  her,  and  loved  her  as  if  she  had  been  one  of  them ;  and 
there  her  little  son  was  born,  and  she  called  him  Muchie  Lai,* 
after  the  Muchie  Rajah,  his  father.  Muchie  Lai  was  a  lovely 
child,  merry  and  brave,  and  his  playmates  all  day  long  were 
the  young  cobras.  When  he  was  about  three  years  old  a 
bangle  seller  came  by  that  way,  and  the  Muchie  Ranee  bought 
*  Little  Ruby  Fish. 

[436] 


THE   FAIRT   RING 

some  bangles  from  him  and  put  them  on  her  boy's  wrists  and 
ankles ;  but  by  the  next  day,  in  playing,  he  had  broken  them  all. 
Then,  seeing  the  bangle  seller,  the  Ranee  called  him  again  and 
bought  some  more,  and  so  on  every  day  until  the  bangle  seller 
got  quite  rich  from  selling  so  many  bangles  for  the  Muchie 
Lai — for  the  Cobra's  hole  was  full  of  treasure,  and  he  gave  the 
Muchie  Ranee  as  much  money  to  spend  every  day  as  she  liked. 
There  was  nothing  she  wished  for  he  did  not  give  her,  only 
he  would  not  let  her  try  to  get  home  to  her  husband,  which 
she  wished  more  than  all.  When  she  asked  him  he  would 
say :  "  No,  I  will  not  let  you  go.  If  your  husband  comes  here 
and  fetches  you,  it  is  well ;  but  I  will  not  allow  you  to  wander 
in  search  of  him  through  the  land  alone." 

And  so  she  was  obliged  to  stay  where  she  was. 

All  this  time  the  poor  Muchie  Rajah  was  hunting  in  every 
part  of  the  country  for  his  wife,  but  he  could  learn  no  tidings 
of  her.  For  grief  and  sorrow  at  losing  her  he  had  gone  well- 
nigh  distracted,  and  did  nothing  but  wander  from  place  to 
place,  crying,  "  She  is  gone !  she  is  gone !  "  Then,  when  he 
had  long  inquired  without  avail  of  all  the  people  in  her  native 
village  about  her,  he  one  day  met  a  bangle  seller,  and  said  to 
him,  "  Whence  do  you  come?"  The  bangle  seller  answered: 
"  I  have  just  been  selling  bangles  to  some  people  who  live  in 
a  cobra's  hole  in  the  river  bank."  "  People !  What  people  ?  " 
asked  the  Rajah.  "  Why,"  answered  the  bangle  seller,  "  a 
woman  and  a  child.  The  child  is  the  most  beautiful  I  ever 
saw.  He  is  about  three  years  old,  and  of  course,  running 
about,  is  always  breaking  his  bangles,  and  his  mother  buys 
him  new  ones  every  day."  "  Do  you  know  what  the  child's 
name  is  ? "  said  the  Rajah.  "  Yes,"  answered  the  bangle 
seller  carelessly,  "  for  the  lady  always  calls  him  her  Muchie 
Lai."  "  Ah,"  thought  the  Muchie  Rajah,  "  this  must  be  my 
wife."  Then  he  said  to  him  again :  "  Good  bangle  seller,  I 
would  see  these  strange  people  of  whom  you  speak;  cannot 
you  take  me  there?"  "Not  to-night,"  replied  the  bangle 
seller ;  "  daylight  has  gone,  and  we  should  only  frighten  them ; 
but  I  shall  be  going  there  again  to-morrow,  and  then  you  may 

[437] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

come  too.  Meanwhile,  come  and  rest  at  my  house  for  the 
night,  for  you  look  faint  and  weary."  The  Rajah  consented. 
Next  morning,  however,  very  early,  he  woke  the  bangle  seller, 
saying :  "  Pray  let  us  go  now  and  see  the  people  you  spoke 
about  yesterday."  "  Stay,"  said  the  bangle  seller ;  "  it  is  much 
too  early.  I  never  go  till  after  breakfast."  So  the  Rajah  had 
to  wait  till  the  bangle  seller  was  ready  to  go.  At  last  they 
started  off,  and  when  they  reached  the  Cobra's  hole  the  first 
thing  the  Rajah  saw  was  a  fine  little  boy  playing  with  the 
young  cobras. 

As  the  bangle  seller  came  along,  jingling  his  bangles,  a 
gentle  voice  from  inside  the  hole  called  out :  "  Come  here,  my 
Muchie  Lai,  and  try  on  your  bangles."  Then  the  Muchie 
Rajah,  kneeling  down  at  the  mouth  of  the  hole,  said,  "  O 
lady,  show  your  beautiful  face  to  me."  At  the  sound  of  his 
voice  the  Ranee  ran  out,  crying,  "  Husband,  husband !  have 
you  found  me  again !  "  And  she  told  him  how  her  sister  had 
tried  to  drown  her,  and  how  the  good  Cobra  had  saved  her 
life  and  taken  care  of  her  and  her  child.  Then  he  said,  "  And 
will  you  now  come  home  with  me  ?  "  And  she  told  him  how 
the  Cobra  would  never  let  her  go,  and  said :  "  I  will  first  tell 
him  of  your  coming ;  for  he  has  been  as  a  father  to  me."  So 
she  called  out :  "  Father  Cobra,  father  Cobra,  my  husband 
has  come  to  fetch  me ;  will  you  let  me  go  ?  "  "  Yes,"  he  said, 
"  if  your  husband  has  come  to  fetch  you,  you  may  go."  And 
his  wife  said :  "  Farewell,  dear  lady,  we  are  loth  to  lose  you, 
for  we  have  loved  you  as  a  daughter."  And  all  the  little 
cobras  vere  very  sorrowful  to  think  that  they  must  lose  their 
playfellow,  the  young  Prince.  Then  the  Cobra  gave  the 
Muchie  Rajah  and  the  Muchie  Ranee  and  Muchie  Lai  all  the 
most  costly  gifts  he  could  find  in  his  treasure-house,  and  so 
they  went  home,  where  they  lived  very  happy  ever  after. 


[438] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

The    Valiant    Chatteemaker 

upon  a  time,  in  a  violent  storm  of  thunder,  light- 
ning,  wind,  and  rain,  a  tiger  crept  for  shelter  close  to 
the  wall  of  an  old  woman's  hut.  This  old  woman  was 
very  poor,  and  her  hut  was  but  a  tumble-down  place,  through 
the  roof  of  which  the  rain  came  drip,  drip,  drip,  on  more  sides 
than  one.  This  troubled  her  much,  and  she  went  running 
about  from  side  to  side,  dragging  first  one  thing  and  then 
another  out  of  the  way  of  the  leaky  places  in  the  roof,  and  as 
she  did  so  she  kept  saying  to  herself :  "  Oh,  dear !  oh,  dear !  how 
tiresome  this  is!  I'm  sure  the  roof  will  come  down!  If  an 
elephant,  or  a  lion,  or  a  tiger  were  to  walk  in,  he  wouldn't 
frighten  me  half  so  much  as  this  perpetual  dripping."  And 
then  she  would  begin  dragging  the  bed  and  all  the  other  things 
in  the  room  about  again,  to  get  them  out  of  the  way  of  the 
wet.  The  tiger,  who  was  crouching  down  just  outside, 
heard  all  that  she  said,  and  thought  to  himself :  "  This  old 
woman  says  she  would  not  be  afraid  of  an  elephant,  or  a  lion, 
or  a  tiger,  but  that  this  perpetual  dripping  frightens  her  more 
than  all.  What  can  this  '  perpetual  dripping  '  be  ? — it  must  be 
something  very  dreadful."  And  hearing  her  immediately  after 
wards  dragging  all  the  things  about  the  room  again,  he  said 
to  himself :  "  What  a  terrible  noise !  Surely  that  must  be  the 
'  perpetual  dripping/ ' 

At  this  moment  a  Chatteemaker,*  who  was  in  search  of  his 
donkey,  which  had  strayed  away,  came  down  the  road.  The 
night  being  very  cold,  he  had,  truth  to  say,  taken  a  little  more 
toddy  than  was  good  for  him,  and  seeing,  by  the  glare  of  a 
flash  of  lightning,  a  large  animal  lying  down  close  to  the  old 
woman's  hut,  he  mistook  it  for  the  donkey  he  was  looking  for. 
So,  running  up  to  the  tiger,  he  seized  hold  of  it  by  one  ear, 
and  commenced  beating,  kicking,  and  abusing  it  with  all  his 
might  and  main.  "  You  wretched  creature !  "  he  cried,  "  is 
this  the  way  you  serve  me,  obliging  me  to  come  out  and  look 

*  Potter. 
[439] 


THE   FAIRT  RING 

for  you  in  such  pouring  rain  and  on  such  a  dark  night  as  this  ? 
Get  up  instantly  or  I'll  break  every  bone  in  your  body  " ;  so 
he  went  on  scolding  and  thumping  the  tiger  with  his  utmost 
power,  for  he  had  worked  himself  up  into  a  terrible  rage.  The 
tiger  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it  all,  but  he  began  to 
feel  quite  frightened,  and  said  to  himself :  "  Why,  this  must 
be  the  '  perpetual  dripping ' ;  no  wonder  the  old  woman  said 
she  was  more  afraid  of  it  than  of  an  elephant,  a  lion,  or  a 
tiger,  for  it  gives  most  dreadfully  hard  blows." 

The  Chatteemaker,  having  made  the  tiger  get  up,  got  on 
his  back  and  forced  him  to  carry  him  home,  kicking  and  beat 
ing  him  the  whole  way,  for  all  this  time  he  fancied  he  was 
on  his  donkey ;  and  then  he  tied  his  forefeet  and  his  head 
firmly  together,  and  fastened  him  to  a  post  in  front  of  his 
house,  and  when  he  had  done  this  he  went  to  bed. 

Next  morning,  when  the  Chatteemaker's  wife  got  up  and 
looked  out  of  the  window,  what  did  she  see  but  a  great  big 
tiger  tied  up,  in  front  of  their  house,  to  the  post  to  which  they 
usually  fastened  the  donkey.  She  was  very  much  surprised, 
and  running  to  her  husband,  awoke  him,  saying :  "  Do  you 
know  what  animal  you  fetched  home  last  night  ? "  "  Yes, 
the  donkey,  to  be  sure,"  he  answered.  "  Come  and  see,"  said 
she,  and  she  showed  him  the  great  tiger  tied  to  the  post. 
The  Chatteemaker  at  this  was  no  less  astonished  than  his 
wife,  and  felt  himself  all  over  to  find  if  the  tiger  had  not 
wounded  him.  But,  no,  he  was  safe  and  sound,  and  there  was 
the  tiger  tied  to  the  post,  just  as  he  had  fastened  it  up  the 
night  before. 

News  of  the  Chatteemaker's  exploit  soon  spread  through 
the  village,  and  all  the  people  came  to  see  him  and  hear  him 
tell  how  he  had  caught  the  tiger  and  tied  it  to  the  post;  and 
this  they  thought  so  wonderful  that  they  sent  a  deputation 
to  the  Rajah,  with  a  letter  to  tell  him  how  a  man  of  their 
village  had,  alone  and  unarmed,  caught  a  great  tiger  and  tied 
it  to  a  post. 

When  the  Rajah  read  the  letter  he  also  was  much  sur 
prised,  and  determined  to  go  in  person  and  see  this  astonishing 

[440] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

sight.  So  he  sent  for  his  horses  and  carriages,  his  lords  and 
attendants,  and  they  all  set  off  together  to  look  at  the  Chattee- 
maker  and  the  tiger  he  had  caught. 

Now  the  tiger  was  a  very  large  one,  and  had  long  been  the 
terror  of  the  whole  country  around,  which  made  the  whole 
matter  still  more  extraordinary ;  and  all  this  being  represented 
to  the  Rajah,  he  determined  to  confer  all  possible  honor  on  the 
valiant  Chatteemaker.  So  he  gave  him  houses  and  lands,  and 
as  much  money  as  would  fill  a  well,  made  him  a  lord  of  his 
court,  and  conferred  on  him  the  command  of  ten  thousand 
horse. 

It  came  to  pass,  shortly  after  this,  that  a  neighboring  rajah, 
who  had  long  had  a  quarrel  with  this  one,  sent  to  announce 
his  intention  of  going  instantly  to  war  with  him ;  and  tidings 
were  brought  at  the  same  time  that  the  Rajah  who  sent  the 
challenge  had  gathered  a  great  army  together  on  the  borders, 
and  was  prepared  at  a  moment's  notice  to  invade  the  country. 

In  this  dilemma  no  one  knew  what  to  do.  The  Rajah  sent 
for  all  his  generals,  and  inquired  of  them  which  would  be 
willing  to  take  command  of  his  forces  and  oppose  the  enemy. 
They  all  replied  that  the  country  was  so  ill  prepared  for  the 
emergency,  and  the  case  was  apparently  so  hopeless,  that  they 
would  rather  not  take  the  responsibility  of  the  chief  command. 
The  Rajah  knew  not  whom  to  appoint  in  their  stead.  Then 
some  of  his  people  said  to  him :  "  You  have  lately  given  the 
command  of  ten  thousand  horse  to  the  valiant  Chatteemaker 
who  caught  the  tiger.  Why  not  make  him  commander-in- 
chief  ?  A  man  who  could  catch  a  tiger  and  tie  him  to  a  post, 
must  surely  be  more  courageous  and  clever  than  most." 
"  Very  well,"  said  the  Rajah,  "  I  will  make  him  commander- 
in-chief."  So  he  sent  for  the  Chatteemaker  and  said  to 
him :  "  In  your  hands  I  place  all  the  power  of  the  kingdom ; 
you  must  put  our  enemies  to  flight  for  us."  "  So  be  it,"  an 
swered  the  Chatteemaker ;  "  but,  before  I  lead  the  whole  army 
against  the  enemy,  suffer  me  to  go  by  myself  and  examine 
their  position,  and,  if  possible,  find  out  their  numbers  and 
"trength." 

[441] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

The  Rajah  consented,  and  the  Chatteemaker  returned  home 
to  his  wife  and  said :  "  They  have  made  me  commander-in- 
chief,  which  is  a  very  difficult  post  for  me  to  fill,  because  I 
shall  have  to  ride  at  the  head  of  all  the  army,  and  you  know  I 
never  was  on  a  horse  in  my  life.  But  I  have  succeeded  in 
gaining  a  little  delay,  as  the  Rajah  has  given  me  permission 
to  go  first  alone  and  reconnoiter  the  enemy's  camp.  Do  you 
therefore  provide  a  very  quiet  pony,  for  you  know  I  cannot 
ride,  and  I  will  start  to-morrow  morning." 

But,  before  the  Chatteemaker  had  started,  the  Rajah  sent 
over  to  him  a  most  magnificent  charger  richly  caparisoned, 
which  he  begged  he  would  ride  when  going  to  see  the  enemy's 
camp.  The  Chatteemaker  was  frightened  almost  out  of  his 
life,  for  the  charger  that  the  Rajah  had  sent  him  was  very 
powerful  and  spirited,  and  he  felt  sure  that  even  if  he  ever 
got  on  it,  he  should  very  soon  tumble  off ;  however,  he  did  not 
dare  to  refuse  it,  for  fear  of  offending  the  Rajah  by  not  ac 
cepting  his  present.  So  he  sent  back  to  him  a  message  of 
thanks,  and  said  to  his  wife :  "  I  cannot  go  on  the  pony,  now 
that  the  Rajah  has  sent  me  this  fine  horse;  but  how  am  I 
ever  to  ride  it?"  "Oh,  don't  be  frightened,"  she  answered; 
"  you've  only  to  get  upon  it,  and  I  will  tie  you  firmly  on 
so  that  you  cannot  tumble  off,  and  if  you  start  at  night  no  one 
will  see  that  you  are  tied  on."  "  Very  well,"  he  said. 

So  that  night  his  wife  brought  the  horse  that  the  Rajah  had 
sent  him  to  the  door.  "  Indeed,"  said  the  Chatteemaker,  "  I 
can  never  get  into  that  saddle,  it  is  so  high  up."  "  You  must 
jump,"  said  his  wife.  So  he  tried  to  jump  several  times,  but 
each  time  he  jumped  he  tumbled  down  again.  "  I  always 
forget  when  I  am  jumping,"  said  he,  "  which  way  I  ought  to 
turn."  "  Your  face  must  be  toward  the  horse's  head,"  she 
answered.  "  To  be  sure,  of  course,"  he  cried,  and  giving  one 
great  jump  he  jumped  into  the  saddle,  but  with  his  face 
toward  the  horse's  tail.  "  This  won't  do  at  all,"  said  his  wife 
as  she  helped  him  down  again ;  "  try  getting  on  without  jump 
ing."  "  I  never  can  remember,"  he  continued,  "  when  I  have 
got  my  left  foot  in  the  stirrup,  what  to  do  with  my  right  foot 

[442] 


THE    FAIRT    RING 

or  where  to  put  it."  "  That  must  go  in  the  other  stirrup," 
she  answered ;  "  let  me  help  you."  So  after  many  trials  in 
which  he  tumbled  down  very  often,  for  the  horse  was  fresh 
and  did  not  like  standing  still,  the  Chatteemaker  got  into  the 
saddle ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  got  there  than  he  cried :  "  Oh, 
wife,  wife!  tie  me  very  firmly  as  quickly  as  possible,  for  I 
know  I  shall  jump  down  if  I  can."  Then  she  fetched  some 
strong  rope  and  tied  his  feet  firmly  into  the  stirrups,  fastened 
one  stirrup  to  the  other,  and  put  another  rope  around  his 
waist  and  another  around  his  neck,  and  fastened  them  to  the 
horse's  body  and  neck  and  tail. 

When  the  horse  felt  all  these  ropes  about  him  he  could  not 
imagine  what  queer  creature  had  got  upon  his  back,  and  he 
began  rearing  and  kicking  and  prancing,  and  at  last  set  off 
full  gallop,  as  fast  as  he  could  tear,  right  across  country. 
"Wife,  wife!"  cried  the  Chatteemaker,  "you  forgot  to  tie 
my  hands."  "  Never  mind,"  said  she,  "  hold  on  by  the  mane." 
So  he  caught  hold  of  the  horse's  mane  as  firmly  as  he  could. 
Then  away  went  horse,  away  went  Chatteemaker  —  away, 
away,  away  over  hedges,  over  ditches,  over  rivers,  over  plains 
— away,  away  like  a  flash  of  lightning — now  this  way,  now 
that— on,  on,  on,  gallop,  gallop,  gallop — until  they  came  in 
sight  of  the  enemy's  camp. 

The  Chatteemaker  did  not  like  his  ride  at  all,  and  when  he 
saw  where  it  was  leading  him  he  liked  it  still  less,  for  he 
thought  the  enemy  would  catch  him  and  very  likely  kill  him. 
So  he  determined  to  make  one  desperate  effort  to  be  free,  and 
stretching  out  his  hand  as  the  horse  shot  past  a  young  banyan 
tree,  seized  hold  of  it  with  all  his  might,  hoping  that  the  re 
sistance  it  offered  might  cause  the  ropes  that  tied  him  to  break. 
But  the  horse  was  going  at  his  utmost  speed,  and  the  soil  in 
which  the  banyan  tree  grew  was  loose,  so  that  when  the 
Chatteemaker  caught  hold  of  it  and  gave  it  such  a  violent 
pull  it  came  up  by  the  roots,  and  on  he  rode  as  fast  as  before, 
with  the  tree  in  his  hand. 

All  the  soldiers  in  the  camp  saw  him  coming,  and,  having 
heard  that  an  army  was  to  be  sent  against  them,  made  sure 

[443] 


THE   FAIRY   RING 

that  the  Chatteemaker  was  one  of  the  vanguard.  "  See/' 
cried  they,  "  here  conies  a  man  of  gigantic  stature  on  a  mighty 
horse!  He  rides  at  full  speed  across  the  country,  tearing  up 
the  very  trees  in  his  rage !  He  is  one  of  the  opposing  force ; 
the  whole  army  must  be  close  at  hand.  If  they  are  such  as 
he,  we  are  all  dead  men."  Then,  running  to  their  Rajah, 
some  of  them  cried  again :  "  Here  comes  the  whole  force  of 
the  enemy"  (for  the  story  had  by  this  time  become  exag 
gerated)  ;  "  they  are  men  of  gigantic  stature,  mounted  on 
mighty  horses;  as  they  come  they  tear  up  the  very  trees  in 
their  rage;  we  can  oppose  men,  but  not  monsters  such  as 
these."  These  were  followed  by  others,  who  said :  "  It  is  all 
true,"  for  by  this  time  the  Chatteemaker  had  got  pretty  near 
the  camp;  they're  coming!  they're  coming!  let  us  fly!  let  us 
fly — fly,  fly  for  your  lives ! "  And  the  whole  panic-stricken 
multitude  fled  from  the  camp,  those  who  had  seen  no  cause 
for  alarm  going  because  the  others  did,  or  because  they  did  not 
care  to  stay  by  themselves,  after  having  obliged  their  Rajah 
to  write  a  letter  to  the  one  whose  country  he  was  about  to 
invade,  to  say  that  he  would  not  do  so,  and  to  propose  terms  of 
peace,  and  to  sign  it  and  seal  it  with  his  seal.  Scarcely  had 
all  the  people  fled  from  the  camp  when  the  horse  on  which  the 
Chatteemaker  was  came  galloping  into  it,  and  on  his  back 
rode  the  Chatteemaker,  almost  dead  from  fatigue,  with  the 
banyan  tree  in  his  hand.  Just  as  he  reached  the  camp  the 
ropes  by  which  he  was  tied  broke,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground. 
The  horse  stood  still,  too  tired  with  his  long  run  to  go  far 
ther.  On  recovering  his  senses,  the  Chatteemaker  found,  to 
his  surprise,  that  the  whole  camp,  full  of  rich  arms,  clothes, 
and  trappings,  was  entirely  deserted.  In  the  principal  tent, 
moreover,  he  found  a  letter  addressed  to  his  Rajah,  announc 
ing  the  retreat  of  the  invading  army  and  proposing  terms  of 
peace. 

So  he  took  the  letter  and  returned  home  with  it  as  fast  as 
he  could,  leading  his  horse  all  the  way,  for  he  was  afraid  to 
mount  him  again.  It  did  not  take  him  long  to  reach  his 
house  by  the  direct  road,  for  while  riding  he  had  gone  a  more 

[444] 


THE    FAIRY   RING 

circuitous  journey  than  was  necessary,  and  he  reached  there 
just  at  nightfall.  His  wife  ran  out  to  meet  him,  overjoyed  at 
his  speedy  return.  As  soon  as  he  saw  her,  he  said :  "  Ah,  wife, 
since  I  saw  you  last  I've  been  all  around  the  world,  and  had 
many  wonderful  and  terrible  adventures.  But  never  mind 
that  now:  send  this  letter  quickly  to  the  Rajah  by  a  mes 
senger,  and  send  the  horse  also  that  he  sent  for  me  to  ride. 
He  will  then  see,  by  the  horse  looking  so  tired,  what  a  long 
ride  I've  had ;  and  if  he  is  sent  on  beforehand,  I  shall  not  be 
obliged  to  ride  him  up  to  the  palace  door  to-morrow  morn 
ing,  as  I  otherwise  should,  and  that  would  be  very  tiresome, 
for  most  likely  I  should  tumble  off."  So  his  wife  sent  the 
horse  and  the  letter  to  the  Rajah,  and  a  message  that  her  hus 
band  would  be  at  the  palace  early  next  morning,  as  it  was 
then  late  at  night.  And  next  day  he  went  down  there,  as  he 
had  said  he  would;  and  when  the  people  saw  him  coming, 
they  said :  "  This  man  is  as  modest  as  he  is  brave ;  after  hav 
ing  put  our  enemies  to  flight,  he  walks  quite  simply  to  the 
door,  instead  of  riding  here  in  state,  as  another  man  would." 
For  they  did  not  know  that  the  Chatteemaker  walked  because 
he  was  afraid  to  ride. 

The  Rajah  came  to  the  palace  door  to  meet  him,  and  paid 
him  all  possible  honor.  Terms  of  peace  were  agreed  upon  be 
tween  the  two  countries,  and  the  Chatteemaker  was  rewarded 
for  all  he  had  done,  by  being  given  twice  as  much  rank  and 
wealth  as  he  had  before,  and  he  lived  very  happily  all  the 
rest  of  his  life. 


THE   END 


<2 


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